GO LINOMAR: Obtaining biostimulants formulated from algae extracts obtained from waters contaminated by nitrates
- Type Grupo operativo
- Status In progress
- Execution 2024 -2026
- Scope Supraautonómico
- Autonomous community Comunitat Valenciana; Murcia, Región de
- Main source of financing PEPAC 2023-2027
The aim of the project is to develop a new biostimulant product formulated with microalgae extracts from native strains of the Mar Menor (Murcia) and the Albufera of Valencia for horticultural and citrus crops, the application of which can reduce the amount of conventional nitrogen fertilizers supplied to these crops.
The innovative project is focused on the development of a new product for horticultural and citrus crops whose application can reduce the amount of conventional nitrogen fertilizers supplied to these crops.
- Selective sampling in various areas of both lagoons
- Chemical analysis of water at different sampling points
- Selection of the species with the greatest growth and best adaptation
- Study of the chemical composition of selected microalgae
- Scaling to “raceways”
- Optimization of the extraction process
- Biostimulant product formulation
- Small-scale pilot validation trial Validation of winter fruit and vegetable crops
- Validation of summer fruit and vegetable crops
- Validation of citrus cultivation
- Crop monitoring (field probes)
- Satellite condition monitoring
- DSS Development
The Mediterranean area of the Region of Murcia and the Generalitat Valenciana is an eminently agricultural area thanks to its climate and the edaphoclimatic properties of the soil that result in high production throughout the year and of great quality.
Furthermore, this area is also characterized by hosting a great biodiversity of fauna and flora on its banks and its freshwater or brackish water lagoons. Both sectors are threatened by the indiscriminate use of nitrogen fertilizers that is carried out on almost 10,000 ha of crops (Soria et al. 2022).
The presence of nitrates from fertilizers is harmful to the environment, which forces the competent organizations to impose restrictions on farmers in the application of conventional synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
According to 2022 data, the Mar Menor received a total of 3,580 tons of nitrates and 19.7 tons of phosphates (Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Miteco). In this context of agriculture and the environment, there is a need to develop environmentally sustainable cultivation techniques that reduce the amount of nitrates that reach or are already contained in the natural resources of agricultural areas.
The aim of this project is to develop a new biostimulant product, formulated with microalgae extracts from native strains of the Mar Menor and the Albufera of Valencia for horticultural and citrus crops, the application of which can reduce the amount of conventional nitrogen fertilizers supplied to these crops. The algal biomass will "bioremediate" the waters of the Mar Menor and the Albufera from the nitrates they contain.
- Isolation and acclimatization of lagoon species (Mar Menor and Albufera).
- Selection of microalgae for specific functions.
- Scaling up algae cultivation to pre-industrial level.
- Obtain and optimize the methodology necessary to manufacture biostimulant products with algal biomass extracts on an industrial scale.
- Use biostimulants to reduce the amount of conventional synthetic fertilizers applied to fruit and vegetable and citrus crops by 30-50% without loss of production and crop quality.
- Development of DSS for monitoring and tracking raceway and crop conditions.
- Coordinator name: Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Murcia (FECOAM)
- Postal address: C/CABALLERO Nº 13, BAJO
- Coordinator email: psanchez@fecoam.es
- Phone: 968351282
- Federación de cooperativas agrarias de Murcia (FECOAM)
- Cooperativa de Agricultores y Ganaderos del Campo de Cartagena. (COAGACART)
- SOCIEDAD COOPERATIVA Anecoop S. Coop (ANECOOP)
- CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONESCIENTIFICAS (CSIC)
- Federación de cooperativas agrarias de Murcia (FECOAM)
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