b'CHANGINGTHE FERTILIZER GAMEFROM ERADICATION THIS SWEDISH INVENTION UNLOCKS NEW METHODS FOR ADDRESSING THE TO MITIGATION FARM TO FORK GOALS.BY: MARCEL BRUINSWHAT IS THE BEST WAY FORWARD ON THE TOMATO BROWN RUGOSE INTRODUCTIONDr. Regina Gratz, as well as Prof. Susanneplaced a strong emphasis on arginine in Large inputs of inorganic nitrogen are wellSchmidt,UniversityofQueenslandboth patents and product development due FRUIT VIRUS (TOBRFV)?BY: MARCEL BRUINS known to have several negative impacts onAustralia, to hear their insights into thisto its unique and beneficial impact on the crop production and the environment: itsustainable innovation, and to learn how itessential process of plant establishment in stimulates shoot growth at the expense ofmay contribute to advance the objectives ofcropping systems. Currently our product root growth, making crops more susceptiblethe Farm to Fork initiative. portfolio, named arGrow, consists of both to drought and inorganic nitrogen leachingliquid and granular products.is a major problem, not only in regular agri- SEED WORLD EUROPE (SWE): TORGNY,Following on the developments in for-cultural fields, but also in pots and gardenYOU FOUNDED AREVO. CAN TELL US Aestry, we discovered that the biology and beds. This problem is recognized as such inBIT MORE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY? biochemistry of arginine and the effects it the European Green Deals Farm to ForkTORGNY NSHOLM (TN): We are abrings to plants is a general phenomenon, Strategy, which aims for a reduction ofcutting-edge company based in Ume,common to all crops tested. This opens pos-nutrient losses by at least 50 per cent with- Northern Sweden, dedicated to producingsibilities for our technology to contribute to out deterioration in soil fertility. The Farmenvironmentally friendly biostimulantsmore sustainable cultivation practices and to Fork Strategy aims to reduce the use offor plants. The unique products are deeplymore resilient agricultural crops in a wider fertilisers in European farm fields by at leastrooted in academic research, offering sus- perspective. 20 per cent by 2030. At the same time, ittainable solutions for plant production. is well known that a high productivity inThe company emerged as a spin-offSWE: HOW DID YOU DISCOVER THIS cropping systems requires abundant supplyfrom Swedish forest biotech science, withPOSITIVE RESPONSE OF PLANTS TO of nitrogen. The Swedish company Arevoits foundation established in academicARGININE?may have found a solution to mitigate theseresearch concerning the significance ofTN: The initial discovery on plant uptake challenges.organic nitrogen in tree nutrition. Theof organic nitrogen was published in the Arevo has come up with a novel wayresearch revealed the remarkable abilityjournal Nature more than 20 years ago. We to encourage crop root growth and, con- of trees in taking up amino acids, particu- showed that forest plants, not only trees but sequently increase plants nitrogen uptake.larly arginine. A significant discovery wasalso grasses and shrubs, are very efficient Seed World Europe sat down with the com- that the supply of arginine to plants vastlywhen it comes to uptake of amino acids panys team for agricultural solutions, Prof.improves the growth and development offrom soils. I realized that there should be a Torgny Nsholm, CEO Niklas strm andtheir root systems.As a result, we havepotential for the development of new types From left: Torgny Nsholm, Niklas strm and Regina Gratz36ISEED WORLD EUROPEIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'