Microorganisms reduce plagues in Crops by Dr. Celso Moretti , CEO EMBRAPA

22 Feb 2022 · 1 min

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1:20

In this presentation, Dr. Celso Moretti of EMBRAPA explains how beneficial microorganisms can be harnessed to create more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems. He highlights the use of microbial biopesticides and biofertilizers to combat pests and diseases, focusing on a biological control strategy against the fall armyworm—a pest capable of destroying up to 50% of a cornfield within three days. The solution involves introducing a specific microorganism that targets and kills the armyworm. The success of this approach has attracted interest from Ministries of Agriculture across Southern Africa, Brazil, and other regions seeking cooperation to implement these microbial controls. Moretti also mentions broader applications of biopesticides and biofertilizers for improving crop health worldwide.

Chapters

Organisms in the world that can help develop a better agriculture, more resilient, more sustainable. And we have using this microorganism to help us not only fighting pests and diseases, and then moving towards regenerative agriculture. And we have a story about a disease. Actually, it's a pest called the fall armyworm that happens in southern Africa. It's also really bad in Brazil and other places, and we developed a biological control system where another microorganism will go there and kill the pest, the fall armyworm. Just to give you an idea, fall armyworm can eat up 50% of your cornfield in 3 days, and we received the visit of a lot of Ministry of Agriculture from different countries in Southern Africa, in Brazil, asking for our cooperation to do, you know, to help them controlling this pest. And we have other biopesticides and biofertilizers that can make it even better agriculture, not only Brazil but other parts of the world.