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Every project supported by Gebert Rüf Stiftung is made accessible with a web presentation that informs about the core data of the project. With this public presentation, the foundation publishes the funding results achieved and contributes to the communication of science to society.

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Agro-Microbials

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The project management is responsible for the content of the information provided.

Project data

  • Project no: GRS-091/20 
  • Amount of funding: CHF 300'000 
  • Approved: 29.10.2020 
  • Duration: 08.2021 - 10.2024 
  • Area of activity:  Microbials, seit 2016

Project management

Project description

Agrochemicals, such as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are key to maintain and promote crop growth. Traditionally, these active ingredients are sprayed around the plants. This, however, is very inefficient and most of the agrochemicals is lost to the environment and thus not available to the crop. This also has important negative environmental consequences since the lost fertilizer can lead to the water contamination, eutrophication, endangerment of environmental habitats and toxicity towards non-target organisms. This project has investigated whether plant-beneficial root-associated bacteria could help to deliver the fertilizers to plants in a more efficient manner.

Status/Results

We have successfully developed protocols for the preparation, modification and characterization of nanoparticle-modified bacteria using Pseudomonas protegens CHA0 and polystyrene nanoparticles. This project has provided important and unique insight into the effect of nanoparticle coupling, and nanoparticle coupling chemistry on the viability and functional properties of soil-relevant bacteria. This project has also resulted in the development of various new and innovative methods the characterize the nanoparticle-decorated bacteria and to assess their functional properties. These novel insights and these new tools will provide a starting point to further work that will investigate more application relevant formulations and to bring these technologies a step closer to practical applications and towards innovative and more sustainable agricultural practices.

Links

EPFL – Laboratoire des Polymères (LP) Website | Twitter

Persons involved in the project

Prof. Harm-Anton Klok, project leader, Laboratoire des Polymères, EPFL
Prof. Niko Geldner, University of Lausanne
Dr. Christoph Keel, University of Lausanne
Dr. Jordan Vacheron, University of Lausanne
Maria Malgorzata Marcinek, PhD student, Laboratoire des Polymères, EPFL
Ursina Rathgeb, PhD student, University of Lausanne

Last update to this project presentation  04.11.2024