The bioherbicidal potential of isolated fungi cultivated in microalgal biomass.

This study evaluated the bioherbicidal potential of wild fungi grown on microalgal biomass from the digestate treatment of biogas production. Four fungal isolates were used and the extracts were evaluated for the activity of different enzymes and characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The bioherbicidal activity was assessed by application on Cucumis sativus, and the leaf damage was visually estimated. The microorganisms showed potential as agents producing an enzyme pool. The obtained fungal extracts presented different organic compounds, most acids, and when applied to Cucumis sativus, showed high levels of leaf damage (80-100 ± 3.00%, deviation relative to the observed average damage). Therefore, the microbial strains are potential biological control agents of weeds, which, together with the microalgae biomass, offer the appropriate conditions to obtain an enzyme pool of biotechnological relevance and with favorable characteristics to be explored as bioherbicides, addressing aspects within the environmental sustainability.

Microbial natural bioactive formulations in citrus development.

Efficient Microorganisms (EM) are commonly used in organic crops; however, there are no studies on their effects on the production of citrus seedlings. The work aimed to evaluate the impact of applying the inoculants Native Efficient Microorganisms (NEM) and the commercial product EM1® in forming the seedling of the rootstock Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf and in the development of young plants of Sweet Orange "Valência" (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) and Murcott tangor (Citrus sinensis x Citrus reticulata Blanco). The inoculant based on efficient microorganisms from the homemade technology of capture and multiplication, native efficient microorganisms (NEM), showed greater microbial diversity when compared to the commercial product EM1®. The results obtained from the dry mass analysis of the Valência orange and Murcott tangor plants indicate that positive effects resulting from the use of EM1® and NEM inoculums can be obtained by cultivating the respective crops in a system with oat straw cover. It was observed that the use of efficient microorganisms, as microbial natural bioactive formulation, has potential use in citrus and that farmers with fewer resources will be able to produce the microorganisms on their properties.