How beneficial microorganisms can improve berry crop yields

Years of trials and research have shown that biostimulants and biofertilisers containing microorganisms improve berry quality, size and weight without harming the plant. Read on to learn more.

Sales of berry crops, including raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, have continued to grow in recent years, thanks to their excellent flavour and essential nutrients. However, factors such as climate change, water shortages and temperature fluctuations can reduce yields. Keeping up with new agronomic approaches, including organic and sustainable production, is not always easy.

This is precisely Symborg’s mission: to help farmers manage their agribusinesses effectively and improve yields with products that benefit the environment rather than harm it.

One effective way to improve yields is to use biostimulants based on the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus iranicum var. Tenuihypharum. This strain, exclusively patented by Symborg, establishes a long-term symbiotic relationship with the plant’s root system, supplying water and nutrients in exchange for carbohydrates produced through photosynthesis. This promotes root growth and development and stimulates essential metabolic processes, including photosynthesis.

This symbiotic relationship also enables the plant to capture more carbon dioxide (CO2) and use water and nutrients more efficiently, helping it cope with abiotic stresses such as water shortages. Symborg’s trials on different crops around the world have shown substantial yield increases. For example, applying mycorrhizal fungi to strawberries in Spain increased yields by 7%. In other countries, this figure reached 12%.

Products in Symborg’s catalogue that are particularly suitable for berry production include the biostimulants Mycoup and Trichosym Bio and the biofertilisers Vitasoil and Climax.

Mycoup is based on the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus iranicum var. Tenuihypharum. As described above, it forms a symbiotic relationship with the plant’s root system, supplying water and nutrients in exchange for carbohydrates produced through photosynthesis. Mycoup therefore promotes root development, photosynthesis, CO2 capture, and water and nutrient use efficiency, improving plant productivity and yield.

Trichosym Bio is another biostimulant suitable for berry crops. It contains the beneficial fungus Trichoderma harzianum T78, which improves soil structure, stimulates the root system and protects it against various fungal pathogens.

The biofertiliser Vitasoil consists of a consortium of microorganisms. It solubilises nutrients, fixes nitrogen, makes phosphorus and other nutrients available to plants, regenerates the soil and improves its structure.

Finally, Climax is a biofertiliser based on plant-derived fulvic acids. It also contains calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and specially selected molecules with prebiotic properties. Climax increases microbial populations and stabilises groups of microorganisms that support plant nutrition and soil regeneration.

For detailed advice and further product information, contact IOTO Agro: www.iotoagro.ge | 0322 11 1717