The success of NitroFixSal project in Widening Felowships (Horizon2020)

The NitroFixalSal (Nitrogen-fixing bacteria from extreme environments as a remedy for N deficiency in saline soils) project coordinated by PhD Agnieszka Kalwasińska has received funding from the EU budget (137 625 EUR) and will be implemented in the Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology in collaboration with PhD Sweta Binod Kumar and the Emerging Field Soil Science, Microbiology, Agricultural Genetics, and Food Quality.

PhD Sweta Binod Kumar is a Biotechnology graduate from Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India. She did her doctoral work at Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar (2016-2019), and the main field of her activity was studying the phenomenon of bacterial adhesion to various polymer membrane surfaces. She has been awarded several times for her contribution to the commercialization of the research and received two prestigious awards (SKOCH ORDER-OF-MERIT, New Delhi, 2017) for her inventions in the detection of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in water samples and for the development of a water sampling device to assess water quality.

The main objective of the NitroFixSal project is to obtain bacteria from extreme saline environments that can fix nitrogen and then implement them into the soil under laboratory conditions to improve the growth of wheat seedlings. Microorganisms naturally adapted to high salinity conditions can promote plant growth under salt stress and contribute to increased plant biomass and protection against pathogens. This can further result in a reduction of mineral fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture.