Speaker
Description
Background and Objectives
The launch of the Farm to Fork Strategy under the European Green Deal in 2020 highlighted the urgent need to develop and commercialize innovative solutions that support sustainable agricultural practices. A key objective of this strategy is the reduction of synthetic pesticide use. Consequently, numerous biopesticides are being developed as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional pesticides. However, their adoption is often limited by lower efficacy compared with traditional chemical products. This AgroServ-funded study aimed to evaluate the impact of a plant-extract-based biopesticide with antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens on the tomato leaf microbiome and to determine whether the formulation presents a lower environmental burden than commonly used copper-based pesticides.
Methods
Tomato plants were treated with either the biopesticide formulation or a commercial pesticide containing copper sulphate pentahydrate as the active ingredient. Microbial DNA was extracted from both the leaf endosphere and phyllosphere, and 16S rRNA gene amplicons were sequenced at the Roscoff Biological Station (France) using next-generation sequencing technologies. Bioinformatic analyses were performed to assess changes in microbial diversity and community composition following treatment.
In parallel, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted using SimaPro. The LCA evaluated the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts associated with production of the biopesticide formulation and identified stages within the production process that could be optimized to reduce environmental impacts.
Preliminary Results
The biopesticide formulation did not significantly alter leaf microbiome diversity, suggesting that it preserves the beneficial functions provided by the plant-associated microbial community. LCA results indicated that the biopesticide has a lower environmental impact than copper-based pesticides across several impact categories, particularly freshwater and marine ecotoxicity as well as human carcinogenic toxicity. These preliminary findings suggest that the plant-extract-based biopesticide represents a promising sustainable alternative to conventional copper-based pesticides, combining reduced environmental impacts with minimal disruption of the plant microbiome. Further research will isolate the bioactive molecules from the extract.
Keywords: antimicrobial, sequencing, biopesticide, life cycle analysis
| Are you participating to the "AnaEE Environmental Rising Star Award "? | Yes |
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