Plants, despite being living organisms that barely move, are capable of reacting to changes that occur in the natural environment. To do this, they put into operation an arsenal of compounds that they use to defend themselves against predatory organisms, infections caused by fungi and bacteria, and other plants with which they compete for light, water, and the nutrients they need to grow and develop. For this reason, plants present some peculiarities that differentiate them from any other living being. They make their own food to grow and develop by capturing sunlight through photosynthesis. In addition, they allocate a good part of their energy to the synthesis of defense-related compounds that play a fundamental role in their survival. Their defense strategies include the production of compounds that make growth impossible and cause the death of competing plants close to them. They also synthesize substances with antimicrobial properties that prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria, avoiding being infected by these pathogens. In addition, they are capable of generating compounds to survive in unfavorable climatic conditions such as high temperatures and drought or the presence of high amounts of salt in the soil. Other types of compounds are directed towards the perpetuation of the plant species by attracting pollinating organisms (insects) and seed dispersing organisms (birds and herbivores), towards collaboration with beneficial soil organisms and cooperation between plants, in this case, producing substances that warn neighboring plants of imminent danger.
Given the wide diversity of compounds with biological activity that plants produce, our research team specialized in production systems for these bioactive compounds, extracting them from plant by-products that remain in the field. Our idea is to achieve ‘zero waste’ and the transformation of vegetable waste into commercially viable products for agriculture. That is why we have launched a new line of biostimulant and antifungal products based on the use of extracts enriched in bioactive compounds extracted from vegetable by-products to achieve an advance in harvests, accelerating the germination process and favoring the growth of horticultural crops. , protecting them from infections and adapting them to the unfavorable climatic changes that are currently taking place.
This line of action is an important advantage for companies since, in addition to obtaining horticultural products, they obtain an additional economic benefit from the sale of biostimulants and natural fungicides, which are fully biodegradable and non-toxic to plants and their consumers.
We seek zero waste and transform vegetable waste into viable products for agriculture
More productivity
This system responds to the current demand of the agricultural sector that needs to dispose of horticultural by-products; that it needs to be more respectful with the environment, reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizers and fungicides, reducing production costs, and that it needs to avoid losses that occur in crops, increasing its productivity and, therefore, obtaining a higher yield economic.
Our research is oriented towards the circular economy, which is essential to achieve a sustainable, competitive and efficient economy in the use of resources.
Thus, bioactive compounds are recovered from plant residues that are later reincorporated again, in the form of bioproducts for agriculture, making the system more sustainable and, at the same time, reducing the environmental impact.
