SIBFU scientists together with colleagues from the Institute of Biophysics SB RAS have proposed a new environmentally friendly method of processing potato tubers, which significantly reduces the risk of damage to seedlings and young plants by fungal infections. The method increases potato yield by 5.6 tons per hectare.
The essence of the method is to treat tubers with a solution of a natural polymer produced by some bacteria, with the addition of a special substance that has proven itself as an effective remedy against fungi – a fungicide. The biopolymer plays the role of a “film”, the decay of which provides a gradual release of the active substance.
“The fungicide slowly and dosed leaves the polymer shell, protects roots and seedlings. The polymer itself, which acts as a carrier for the fungicide, decomposes into water and carbon dioxide by special bacteria, which normally constantly live in local soils in certain quantities. This polymer is absolutely harmless to the environment, as evidenced by more than ten years of testing,” said Svetlana Prudnikova, head of the study, Professor of the Basic Department of Biotechnology at SibFU.
According to scientists, the advantage of the proposed method in comparison with traditional methods of potato processing in agricultural holdings is a lower consumption of fungicides. Instead of repeated treatment of plants, an antifungal drug is added once to a biopolymer solution. This ensures the gradual release of the active substance and the constant protection of potato bushes throughout the growing season.
The authors of the development note that the new method is universal and can help, for example, in the fight against insects that harm potatoes and other agricultural crops. In the future, mass production of a solution for processing tubers is planned: research is already underway aimed at reducing the cost and introducing biopolymer carriers for the active substance into the turnover of agricultural enterprises.
The study was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
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The world-class scientific and educational Center (REC) “Yenisei Siberia” was established in 2019. It is an interregional association initiated by the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Republics of Khakassia and Tyva. The participants of the REC include 28 scientific and educational organizations and enterprises of the real sector of the economy. During its work, the scientific and educational center “Yenisei Siberia” has formed more than 50 comprehensive projects for the development of new technologies, bringing together the leading scientific, educational and industrial organizations of the region and the country.
Source: sfu-kras.ru
The photo on the cover: freepik.com