Belgium
August 10, 2023
In March 2021, VIB, together with then Minister of Innovation and Agriculture Hilde Crevits, launched an appeal to the Flemish people to grow soy in their own gardens. That call was part of a project by VIB, together with partners UGent, KU Leuven and ILVO, to find bacteria that occur naturally in Flemish soils and that work well with soy plants in our regions. Participants were asked to sacrifice one square meter of their garden to plant soy. With success, as the project managed to get more than 1,000 participants (including farmers) to participate, which together allowed VIB and ILVO to identify bacteria that are necessary for quality soybean cultivation.
Jo Brouns, Flemish Minister of Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy and Agriculture: "First of all, it is strong that ILVO and VIB are working together and combining expertise to realize innovative breakthroughs for soybean cultivation, an important aspect for our sustainable protein transition. In addition, it is also strong that they did this through the "Soy in 1000 Gardens" project, where that together we conducted a real citizen science experiment. Thanks to the many citizens and farmers who donated one square meter of their garden or land, this research project was able to take a giant leap forward. It thus also literally brought science into the living room of the Fleming, which is also a great success in terms of STEM."
Soy in 1,000 gardens
With those insights, the research institutions developed bacterial coatings that can be used to treat soy seeds so they can grow better in Flanders. To test whether that coating also effectively leads to the desired symbiosis between plant and bacteria, and forms nitrogenous nodules around the roots, VIB and ILVO launched comparative field trials earlier this year. The count and weight determination of the nodules, and the evaluation of the plants in each of the soybean fields (color, pod formation, vigor...) makes the researchers optimistic. It looks like locally adapted soil bacteria will be able to effectively lead to more and better crop yields.
Citizen science with concrete results
Today, the participants' efforts are bearing fruit in the most literal sense. Soybean plants treated with the new bacterial coatings are showing better results than soybeans that did not receive bacterial "support. In addition to a greener leaf color, the plants' roots contain significantly more nitrogen nodules in the form of root nodules. These nodules are important because they show that the bacterial coating ensures better interaction between the soybean plants and the soil. Indeed, this is how the plant succeeds in absorbing nitrogen. An essential condition for growing soy with sufficient yield and a high protein content.
Joke Pannecoucque, Soybean expert at ILVO: "Those nodules are particularly important for our research. They demonstrate the effectiveness of the new bacterial coating, because they are a clear indication that the soybean plants take nitrogen from soil and air. That means the crops need less fertilizer to lead to good crop yields."
Nitrogen nodules in the form of lumps on the roots of soy.
That this field trial immediately leads to positive results emphasizes the importance of citizen participation in scientific research. Moreover, this research shows that bacteria naturally occurring in Flemish soils can cooperate with soybean to utilize sufficient nitrogen from the air and ensure good yields. An important step forward in the Flemish Protein Strategy 2030, which aims to increase vegetable protein consumption and production.
Sofie Bekaert, Manager of the Grand Challenges Program at VIB: "At the start of the 'Soy in 1000 Gardens' project, we were convinced that direct citizen participation was crucial in our scientific quest for soybean cultivation in Flanders. Direct interaction with relevant stakeholders is an absolute added value to steer research in the right direction. That we are seeing positive results today in our field trials at ILVO is in particular thanks to the 1,154 participants who supported the project from the beginning. Citizen science works, we are now firmly convinced of that."
Soy, quo vadis?
The positive results of the field trials are anything but the end of the "Soy in 1000 Gardens" project. Further research must now reveal how the new coatings can help Flemish farmers engage in soybean cultivation. For example, based on the current results and further analyses, VIB and ILVO will find out which nutrients and soil properties are important to achieve even better results.
The final results of the "Soy in 1000 Gardens" project will be presented on December 11, 2023 at a closing event with all participants, partner institutions and other stakeholders.
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