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From gene sequencing to metabolomics
Goal: to make Valagro biostimulants increasingly effective for different crop needs
Valagro, group leader in the development and commercialization of biostimulants and specialty nutrients, will attend the 13th edition of New Ag International, the annual event that brings together the main companies in the field of hi-tech agriculture, this time in New Delhi, India, from 18 to 20 March.
New Ag will offer the group the opportunity to show researchers, distributors and representatives of emerging companies, particularly in the Indian market, the latest results of Valagro research, and of its collaboration with national and international research institutions in the development of highly innovative and effective bio-stimulants. Among these, the new technique of plant gene sequencing known as Next Generation Sequencing, is arousing particular interest.
“Thanks to this highly innovative technology - said Giovanni Marrollo, Valagro Product Manager - Valagro is able to create a real-time map of the genes of any plant at any specific moment, such as after treatment with a biostimulant. Next Generation Sequencing captures huge amounts of data about the plant in a short time and with unprecedented accuracy. Just think - added Marrollo - until now this operation took months of work, but with this new technology it can be performed in a single experiment in just two weeks at much lower costs. It is also possible - he concluded - to carry out accurate detection of all genes expressed, even for those crops whose genome has not yet been sequenced”.
Valagro’s latest developments are mainly aimed at better understanding of the action of biostimulant on plants, to enhance effectiveness and to allow for increasingly targeted use, thus reducing costs for the benefit to our customers, the farmers. The new sequencing technique used by Valagro makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the Erger® biostimulant in particular, as well as to understand in greater depth dormancy and the genes that regulate it.
Metabolomic studies are also aimed at achieving similar objectives.
“Studies on the metabolism of plants - said Alfredo Sgrignuoli, Valagro Product Manager - have allowed us to use a technology capable of measuring the direct and real contribution of biostimulants at the metabolic level of the plant, in particular as regards the MC Cream and MC Extra formulas.
The use of metabolomics - concluded Sgrignuoli - offers a tool for measuring concretely and objectively the added value offered by the use of Valagro biostimulants”.
The use of this "omic" makes it possible to trace metabolites, assigning each of them a specific physiological function for the plant, with the consequent possibility of measuring the effectiveness of the biostimulant on the latter.