Project
Call for Partners | Plant biostimulants from sidestreams (BOOST)
The use of biostimulants not only helps plant scope with abiotic stress, but is also a great way to valorise underused side-streams.
Biostimulant activity is claimed for several biomass extracts, such as seaweed. Extracts often have variable composition while their mode of biostimulant activity is still unknown. This project leads to robust production of qualitative biostimulants developed from sidestreams.
Project concept
In this project, we will research the biostimulant activity of products. We will do this without elaborate plant growth trials, but based on known biomass composition, targeted fractionation and activity predictions. This method has the advantage of significantly reducing time and cost, while providing a better understanding on the exact activity of the components that generate the biostimulant effect.
Focus and objective of each activity workstream:
- Targeted extraction and fractionation of plant based or microbial side streams
- Development of m-RNA assay to simulate effect on plant.
- AI-based prediction of side stream potential.
- Process design for sustainable biostimulant production.
We are looking for project partners that want to enhance the use of their side streams and increase plant performance, aiming to connect product suppliers and growers.