From existing research it has been shown that seed, soil & foliar application of a wide range of natural compounds in low amounts either alone or in specific combinations exert a range of beneficial biostimulant or disease control effects. This project will draw upon raw material sources for the development these compounds from under-utilised natural resources and those organic waste products that currently are simply discarded.
The Project Partners in the Atlantic Region will be developing and trialling candidate compounds and combinations through rapid screening techniques before putting these through glasshouse and field trials with a view to producing fully tested products.
Importantly it has been shown from previous work that crop specific biostimulant regimes work synergistically with crop nutrition - where this has been balanced to meet both crop need and overcome genuine nutrient availability imbalances.
The consortium will develop a new generation of products based on bioactive compounds recovered from marine and other renewable or organic waste sources combined with key nutrients formulated for maximum uptake and minimal phytotoxicity.
Furthermore, the consortium will then create crop specific packages aimed at delivering significantly reduced crop stress reactions, improved resistance to pathogens, improved crop performance and reduced fertiliser demand.
Commercial innovation arises via the capacity to develop a new market sector; fresh produce with consistently enhanced nutritional quality, achieved in an environmentally responsible way using natural and renewable products.
In order to optimise market development, a full project work package will be devoted to understanding consumer demand and the development of key marketing messages and pricing regimes to maximise consumer interest.