PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The extreme toxicity of certain pesticides causes risk to human and animal health through direct exposure (e.g. industrial workers producing pesticides and operators using them) or indirect exposure (e.g. food consumers). Chronic exposure leads to effects such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and genotoxicity, or adverse effects on the immune or endocrine systems of mammals, fishes or birds. Concerning risks to the environment, spray drift, leaching or run-off lead to pollution of soil and water, with indirect effects on ecosystems (e.g. loss of biodiversity).
As a consequence, the EU established rules for the sustainable use of pesticides to reduce risks and impacts on people's health and the environment (Directive 2009/128/EC). Around 70% of freshwater consumed is directed towards agriculture, especially irrigation (roughly 90% of agricultural usage). As the demand for freshwater increases and water scarcity increasingly constrains human and agriculture development, there is a growing need for an improved and more efficient water usage.
OBJECTIVES
The overall aim of LIFE STIMUL was to develop an innovative and ecological seed treatment solution that will enable farmers to reduce their use of fertilisers and water by 15%. The solution consists of a seed coating that will enhance the root growth at the very early stage of plant development. The coating corresponds to a naturally-derived polymer that is already industrially produced. The treatment would be beneficial to plants, helping them to get additional nutrients and/or water when needed. This improved uptake offers an alternative to spraying.
Specific project aims were to:
- Demonstrate that the new seed treatment can be used in combination with existing seed treatments and can be processed within existing seed treatment facilities; and
- Demonstrate that using this combination of treated seeds delivers reductions in fertiliser and water usage.
RESULTS
The LIFE STIMUL project team developed an innovative seed treatment solution that enables farmers to reduce their use of fertilisers and water, based on a seed coating that enhances early root growth.
During the demonstration of this new seed treatment, the following results were obtained:
- The new biostimulant enabled a 13% reduction in nitrogen (fertiliser) input for corn and an 18% reduction for sunflower. However, no noticeable performance was observed for wheat, as the 10% significance threshold was not reached during the testing campaigns.
- 37% reduction in irrigation water for corn and 20% reduction for soybean crops (initial target of 15%).
The project team also successfully demonstrated that some powder formulas of the new biostimulant could be processed on existing production lines, but their liquid equivalents generate viscosity problems that require additional investments for the seed producers.
The project proved that using treated seeds (with a combination of seed treatments including the new biostimulant) delivers the promise of an input reduction for the conventional farmer. It is then up to them to decide whether they should rather reduce inputs, or intensify production with the same amounts.
Though the project also targeted pesticide reductions (by 15%) for soybean, corn, wheat and rapeseed crops, no pest attacks occurred during the field testing campaigns, so the fulfilment of that particular objective could not be ascertained.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
