Lab's bacteria treatment boosts chile yields in farm-soil tests
LANL's EcoFite raised chile and Swiss chard yields by up to 180% in soil from a local farm, and the team is looking for commercial partners.
LOS ALAMOS — A LANL plant treatment, made of beneficial bacteria, increased chile and Swiss chard yields by up to 180% in tests using soil collected from a local farm, the Lab reported in an Oct. 29 item in its Science, Technology and Engineering Highlights newsletter.
The treatment, called EcoFite, is a mix of helpful bacteria that can be applied as a seed coating or sprayed onto the leaves of a range of crops. Once applied, the bacteria settle inside the plant's tissues, where they help the plant take up nutrients and cope with hard growing conditions such as drought and salty soil.
Lab researchers have also tested the treatment on lettuce, sorghum, tomatoes and chile in greenhouses and fields. The Lab said being able to raise crop yields under variable conditions, shorten the time to harvest and possibly reduce the need for chemical fertilizer could support national security through "a more resilient food supply."
The next step is commercial. The Lab said the team wants partners to test the treatment in a wider range of growing conditions and to work out how to produce it at commercial scale.