Biography:

Joachim Wink has completed his Ph.D in 1985 from Frankfurt University. He then went to the pharmaceutical industry and started his career at the Hoechst AG where he was responsible for the strain collection and specialized in the cultivation and taxonomic characterization of Actinobacteria and Myxobacteria. During the years he was responsible for the strain library within the pharmaceutical research and a number of screening projects with Hoechst Marion Russel, Aventis and Sanofi. In the year 2005 he did his habilitation at the Carolo Wilhelma University of Braunschweig and 2012 he went to the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig where he founded the working group of the strain collection with its focus on Myxobacteria. Here he is now working on the isolation and taxonomic characterization of Myxobacteria and Actinobacteria as well as the analysis of their secondary metabolites with a focus on the antibiotics active ones. The Compendium of Actinobacteria on the homepage of the German Culture Collection is a permanent actualized working tool for people working with Actinobacteria which is prepared by him. He has published more than 50 papers on secondary metabolites and the taxonomy of the producing microorganisms in reputed journals, a number of reviews as well as book chapters and more than 35 patents. He is member of the editorial board of a number of international journals.

Abstract:

Since the discovery of the bactericidal effect of penicillin by Alexander Fleming, micro-organisms play an important role as antibiotic producers. During the 40^th to the 60^th of the last century, these were particularly the actinomycetes isolated from soil samples which have dominated the golden age of the antibiotic research. Caused by the false assumption that with these active substances the problem of the infectious illnesses is solved, most pharmaceutical companies dropped their antibiotic research. The development of resistance of many germs, particularly in the hospitals as well as the return of presumed to be dead illnesses like the tuberculosis has moved the antibiotic research, however, just during the last years again in a new light. Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig has dealt during the last years intensely with the search for new antibiotics and, besides, has laid its main focus on two groups of ground-living bacteria. These are on the one hand furthermore the Actinobacteria, the biggest class in the empire of the bacteria with still high potential, and on the other hand the Myxobacteria, a group of the gliding bacteria whose cultivation owns a long tradition in Braunschweig. The biology and active substance production of these both groups as well as the approach in the HZI with the search for new active substances is introduced.

Biography:

Research interests: microbiology, mineral nutrition of horticultural plants, root & rhizosphere research, sustainable cultivation technologies, bio-friendly nutrient management strategies, plant in vitro cultures. Author of more than 120 scientific publications.

Abstract:

Innovative biofertilizers improving yields of horticultural crops and soil fertility

Sas Paszt L., Paweł Trzciński, Anna Lisek, Beata Sumorok, Edyta Derkowska, Sławomir Głuszek, Mateusz Frąc, Michał Przybył, Krzysztof Weszczak

¹ Research Institute of Horticulture, Department of Microbiology

Konstytucji 3 Maja 1/3,  96-100 Skierniewice, Poland

Corresponding author: Sas Paszt L. tel. +48 46 8345235, fax. 46 8333228, e-mail: [email protected]

To obtain high yields in intensive horticultural and agricultural production, high levels of mineral fertilization combined with the application of chemical plant protection products are commonly used. This results in a loss of the biological potential and erosion of soils, which leads to deterioration in the quality and fertility of cultivated soils. An alternative to such production is the use of microbially enriched biofertilizers, biostimulants and composts.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the applied microbial biofertilizers on the growth and yield of selected species of horticultural plants and to develop innovative technologies for improving the quality of soils. We have developed innovative consortia of beneficial microorganisms on the basis of the resources collected in SYMBIO BANK of the Department of Microbiology, Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice.

The results of the experiments demonstrated a positive influence of the biofertilizers on the vegetative growth and yielding of plants, and the occurrence of beneficial groups of microorganisms in the rhizosphere of those plants. As a result of the application of beneficial microorganisms combined with mineral fertilizers (urea and phosphorus fertilizers), significantly higher yields of the tested fruit and vegetable species were achieved, with better storage and processing qualities compared to conventional production.

The use of beneficial microorganisms in the cultivation of horticultural plants will multiply their positive impact on the yield potential of horticultural plants and improve the quality of soils. Widespread use of the innovative biofertilizers in sustainable cultivation of fruits will help improve the quality of soils and increase the profitability of horticultural farms by reducing production costs.