Development of a new biostimulant formula composed of novel Methylobacterium and crop nutrients

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This project offers the potential of greater crop yield through the development of a plant growth enhancer, composed of carefully selected, high-value biological compounds produced by the beneficial bacterial strains. Our proposal builds on the promising results of our preliminary investigation of Methylobacterium which produce uniquely high levels of growth promoting hormones known as the cytokinins (CKs). It focused on their ability to promote growth and yield in soybean and to alleviate negative effects of drought in four legumes cultivated under limited water supply. We are now expanding the study to test the ability of Methylobacteria to produce other types of plant growth regulators (GAs, ABA, IAA, JA, SA) and further investigate plant growth promoting properties of chemical compounds secreted by these symbiotic strains. For the first time, we will characterize principal metabolic differences among different Methylobacterium strains with the use of untargeted quantitative mass spectrometry and correlate them to bacterial production of CKs and other growth regulators. Specifically, we will compare the composition of small mass metabolites in cell pellets and in microbial supernatants and identify the most abundant metabolites that may have beneficial effects on host plants. Additionally, we will investigate changes in the metabolome of strains exposed to the negative environmental factors (i.e. nutrient deficiency, induced drought, salinity or low temperature) to obtain better insight into Methylobacterium modes of action. In the next step, we will test the stability of the valuable bacterial compounds upon addition of mineral fertilizer supplied by the Industry Partner, NutriAg Ltd. This is a proprietary composition of macro- and microelements which will be applied to the Methylobacterium cell-free supernatants. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a unique and stable formula of plant growth promoting chemicals of bacterial and mineral origin, that will be both highly effective and economical to use. Overall, this research will help to reduce use of chemical fertilizers and increase the scale of sustainable plant production in Canada, resulting in greater yields, more efficient land resource use, and market expansion.