Abstract
Any successful strategy aimed at enhancing crop productivity with microbial products ultimately relies on the ability to scale at regional to global levels. Microorganisms that show promise in the lab may lack key characteristics for widespread adoption in sustainable and productive agricultural systems. This paper provides an overview of critical considerations involved with taking a strain from discovery to the farmer’s field. In addition, we review some of the most effective microbial products on the market today, explore the reasons for their success and outline some of the major challenges involved in industrial production and commercialization of beneficial strains for widespread agricultural application. General processes associated with commercializing viable microbial products are discussed in two broad categories, biofertility inoculants and biocontrol products. Specifically, we address what farmers desire in potential microbial products, how mode of action informs decisions on product applications, the influence of variation in laboratory and field study data, challenges with scaling for mass production, and the importance of consistent efficacy, product stability and quality. In order to make a significant impact on global sustainable agriculture, the implementation of plant beneficial microorganisms will require a more seamless transition between laboratory and farm application. Early attention to the challenges presented here will improve the likelihood of developing effective microbial products to improve crop yields, decrease disease severity, and help to feed an increasingly hungry planet.
Highlights
The alarm cry of impending global food shortages is not new
This review provides an industrial perspective on the current state of these types of microbial products
The total amount of phosphorus in soils may be high, but it is usually present in forms that are unavailable for plant growth
Summary
The alarm cry of impending global food shortages is not new. Over the centuries figures such as Tertullian, Townsend, Malthus, and Ehrlich (Hardin, 1998; Alexandratos and Bruinsma, 2012) have warned of dire consequences of the inability of Earth’s capacity to sustain its growing population (Ehrlich and Ehrlich, 1990). Over the past 50 years the human population of our planet has doubled, and the need for increased food production was met by the application of new technologies, such as the discovery of the Haber-Bosch process (Erisman et al, 2008), and agronomic management strategies. They contributed to staving widespread famine and saving billions of lives, novel and complementary solutions are needed to continue to improve crop yield. In an effort to help maximize the number of strains that make a practical impact on agriculture, some of the challenges involved with taking a successful laboratory strain and making a viable commercial product are discussed
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