b'Case Study A PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE APPLICATION OF BIOINPUTSSupporting academic and industrial partnerships to tackle global biofilm problemsThe extensive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has facilitated the expansion of agricultural practices as a solution to global food supply. However, their excessive and prolonged application has led to detrimental effects such as soil degradation, waterExamples of the root system of the model plant Arabidopsis contamination, and the detection of residues in food.thaliana inoculated with a beneficial bacterium. Image by Dr Gabriel Castrillo.Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) represent a widely adopted approach globally to enhance plantsamples prepared for more in-depth analysis following growth and productivity. North America has the largestthe FTMA award. Dr Castrillo said:market of biofertiliser, meanwhile, South America hosts the fastest growing market. In addition to scientific goals, the project also aims to establish a collaborative relationship between In October 2022, NBIC, in collaboration with a group ofArgentina and the UK, with the objective of fostering Argentine researchers organised a workshop, withinscientific cooperation.the framework of the annual congress of the Argentine Society for General Microbiology (SAMIGE), focused onThis objective was successfully achieved through the biofilms in agriculture, which took place in Los Cocos,training of a postdoctoral fellow, who received the Crdoba, Argentina. The workshop brought togethernecessary expertise to conduct experiments relevant researchers and industry representatives from the UKto the project. This collaborative effort has facilitated and Argentina, to improve agricultural productivitythe joint work of laboratories from both countries, in both countries by reducing the use of chemicalpromoting knowledge exchange and cooperation in the treatments and their environmental impact.scientific community.As a result of the workshop, University of NottinghamThe results obtained so far could serve as the basis attendee, Dr Gabriel Castrillo, applied for NBICsfor initiating a paradigm shift in the application of Flexible Talent Mobility Account (FTMA) and wasbioinputs on a global level. They represent one of the awarded funding for a research project to analyse thefirst steps in understanding the interaction between impact of the root microbiome biofilm on the beneficialexogenously added inoculants and the established effect of Azospirillum bacteria on crops. Understandingmicroorganisms in the plant tissue. Although these this type of interaction is extremely important toresults come from a basic experimental model, further optimise the application of inoculants. Based on theprogress in this field will enable the development of hypothesis that the ability of an inoculant to colonisebiotechnological tools that will have an impact on the plant and exert an effect can be modified by theboth bioinput production and the companies involved, presence or absence of member of the plant andas well as their application in the productive sector. soil microbial communities, a model experimentMoreover, advancements in the field of biological was designed. The impact of the different inoculantinoculants will also have a positive environmental combinations on root growth was established andimpact by promoting the use of eco-friendly products.Dr Gabriel CastrilloDr Castrillo studied biochemistry at Havana University, Cuba. His PhD focused on phosphate starvation response signalling at the Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology. He conducted a Postdoc there, unravelling arsenate signalling in plants. Later, he pursued a second Postdoc at the University of North Carolina, studying plant microbiome interactions. In 2018, he was awarded a University of Nottingham Research Fellowship, and continues his work there as an Associate Professor.49'