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Collaborative project: Microbial biomineralization for effective and environmentally friendly weed control in horticulture - subproject A (MiBWeedControl)
Project
Project code: 2818808A19
Contract period: 15.09.2021
- 14.09.2024
Budget: 825,469 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: Start-up, weed, horticulture, vegetable production
The joint project of the partners Bind-X GmbH and W. Neudorff GmbH KG aims at researching, establishing and validating biomineralization as an effective, non-chemical and approval-free herbicide alternative for horticulture. Biomineralization (commonly called " biocementation") is a natural biogeochemical process of substrate consolidation based on bacterial deposition of the mineral calcite (or other CaCO3 modifications). This natural process occurs in soils and other habitats worldwide through ubiquitous soil bacteria. Through the targeted mineralization which is the aim of the project, a water- and air-permeable mechanical barrier is formed below the soil surface by the applied bacteria. This barrier prevents weeds from breaking through, while the planted or already sprouted crops are not affected in their growth. Commercial applications of biomineralization already exist, but those are focused for instance on dust control applications (primarily in mining). These formulations are not suitable to be used in production horticulture, mainly because of the high costs, per unit of treated area. The project therefore includes the selection and investigation of novel formulations as well as a possible application technique for biomineralization in order to establish the basis for a competitive applicability of biomineralization in horticulture. The project thus lays the foundation for the development of an innovative, user-friendly and, above all, regulation-exempt product for efficient and economical weed control that can be applied with only slightly modified agricultural machinery.
Section overview
Subjects
- Crop Protection
- Soil science
- Process engineering
