The Dairy News: scientists from Altai State University have developed a drug from fungi to protect wheat from drought

Scientists at Altai State University have developed a preparation for the treatment of fields, the active substance of which is released from soil fungi. It will help protect wheat from drought, as well as increase its yield, said Denis Minakov, Associate Professor of the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical-Pharmaceutical Technologies.

“We are developing mycorrhizal fungi. These are fungi that form a symbiosis with plants, settling on their roots, and stimulating their growth. They are suitable for crops such as wheat, corn, buckwheat, and soybeans. We are talking about such soil fungi as white, chanterelle, boletus, and others. <…> We take mycelium (mycelium) and prepare a liquid preparation, which needs to be diluted and then we treat the fields using nozzles immediately after germination. It gets into the roots of wheat, and it becomes resistant to drought, unfavorable conditions, grows faster, gives higher yields and has better organoleptic properties,” said Denis Minakov.

He noted that at present, farmers process agricultural crops with chemicals from China - urea-ammonia mixtures. In contrast, the new drug developed by Altai scientists is environmentally friendly and safe.

“I’ve been nurturing the idea for two years, I had a strain of the drug, and now an interested entrepreneur has appeared, and we are currently developing a pilot batch in laboratory conditions. We have a prototype of the drug in a small amount, but a liter of this concentrate is needed per hectare. We can produce 500 ml of the drug in a week,” explained Minakov.

The developed preparation will be used to treat winter wheat crops this year. After that, scientists intend to patent the development and launch industrial production.

Simultaneously, scientists will grow bacteria that also stimulate the growth of agricultural plants. They plan to use them together with a preparation made from fungi raw materials in the fields with soybeans, wheat, and corn.