New microbial technology aims to reduce pesticide use

Farmers may soon be able to reprogramme their crops to withstand pests, diseases and climate stress using a microbial treatment designed to reduce pesticide use.

Azotic Technologies has secured £500,000 funding from the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) to advance a revolutionary new class of crop protection products.

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The funding will support development of a practical, low-cost method of applying engineered microbes to either seeds or directly to a standing crop in the field.

“This project extends our use of the same bacteria already proven in products like Encera and Envita, which are used on millions of acres worldwide,” explains Dr Adriana Botes, research and development director at Azotic.

The active ingredient in these products, Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Gd), is a natural nitrogen-fixing bacterium that integrates into plant cells.

Once inside, Gd can be programmed to produce a variety of bioactive molecules that help crops resist pests, suppress disease, and tolerate drought or heat stress.

Azotic is now exploring how Gd can be adapted to release bioactive molecules inside plants, delivering benefits such as pest resistance, disease suppression and improved resilience to environmental stress.

Of particular interest is Gd’s ability to produce double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which can silence specific genes in pests or pathogens without requiring genetic modification or gene editing of the plant itself.

As well as dsRNA, Gd can be used to produce biomolecules such as enzymes, peptides or other small molecules that can influence, alter or enhance plant biological processes such as stress response or growth regulation.

While gene silencing is already a well-known concept in plant science, current methods are often expensive, impractical or inconsistent.

Gd offers a unique microbial delivery system that can be applied to any crop variety using a single formulation, offering a rapid-response tool against emerging crop threats.

“If we face a new strain of blight or yellow rust, we could design a microbial solution within weeks,” says Adriana.

“The funding enables us to prove the concept and expand the potential of this breakthrough biotechnology,” she says.