Practice Abstract - Research and innovation

Healthy soil, strong soybeans: Using natural microbes to boost soybean yields in Europe

Objective: European soyabean farmers face challenges with crop performance due to soil health, climate conditions, and high chemical costs. This project aims to boost soyabean yields using natural soil microbes that improve plant health and resilience.

Expected results:

  • We will identify beneficial soil microbes from 100 European soyabean fields, which potentially help soyabean plants absorb nutrients, grow stronger, and resist diseases.
  • We will develop AI-based models to match the right consortia of microbes with specific field conditions, ensuring effective use.
  • We will test these beneficial microbes in both lab and field conditions, to identify consortia of microbes that can provide significant improvements in soyabean growth and resilience.

Practical implications:

  • Yield improvement: Farmers can achieve better harvests using recommended beneficial microbes, while reducing input of agrochemicals.
  • Healthier crops: With the help of the helper microbes, soybeans may become more resilient to environmental stresses with less use of agrochemicals.
  • Reduced costs: Less need for chemical inputs means lower expenses.
  • Easy adoption: Farmers will receive guides and online resources for learning more about how beneficial microbes can help in their crop system.

Main  benefits:

  • Healthier crops and reduced chemical use lead to better profits and more sustainable farming.

This project is a collaboration between European universities, research institutes, and agricultural companies to help farmers grow better soyabeans using nature’s own solutions.

Source Project
Healthier diets and sustainable food and feed systems through employing microbiomes for soya production and further use
Ongoing | 2024-2028
Main funding source
Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Geographical location
Austria
Project details

Project Keywords