Biofertiliser made from fermented forest litter (LiFoFer), is produced from forest litter - in our case white oak collected from the Sainte-Victoire massif - mixed with agricultural by-products (whey, molasses, wheat bran).
Production involves two stages:
- Solid fermentation 1 month at room temperature (between 15°c and 25°C) in the absence of oxygen, followed by a cold storage for several months or years
- Activation before agricultural application culture submerged with a little molasses for 1 week
This study, published in the journal Fermentation,is the result of collaboration between the teams“.“Molecular Biology, Evolution and Ecology“, “CHImiometry, Design of experiments, Expert systems”and the Technical Department“Chemical Analysis for Ecology“.
Sophie Nafil (BUT student), Lucie Miché, Loris Cagnacci, Martine Martinez and Pierre Christen, have assessed the effect of storage time (6, 18 and 30 months) and temperature (ambient vs 29°C) on the activation phase, This is achieved by monitoring the pH, the consumption of sugars and the production of metabolites, including lactic acid, which acts as a preservative for the bio-product and as a biological control agent (anti-fungal).
The main results obtained are as follows
- A in-depth understanding of metabolic dynamics during the LiFoFer activation phase.
- Identifying key parameters influencing the production and quality of the biofertiliser, paving the way for its future optimisation.
This work, which is a must-see, provides a solid basis for improve agricultural productivity and the stability of biofertilisers based on forest litter.