International awards: Livia Pappalettere, PhD student in Agrobiosciences, awarded at the Biostimulant World Congress for her studies on the effects of seven strains of endophytic rhizobacteria on tomato growth

Innovative studies exploring the effects of seven strains of endophytic rhizobacteria on tomato growth received awards at the Biostimulant World Congress in Miami. The Biostimulant World Congress is the most prestigious international event that brings together scientists and practitioners from around the world to share innovative discoveries and cutting-edge results, to promote sustainable agricultural practices and to ensure a better future for the planet and future generations.
The award-winning research was presented by Livia Pappalettere, PhD student in Agrobiosciences at the Institute of Plant Production of the Sant'Anna School, who distinguished herself by winning an important award dedicated to young researchers for ‘outstanding commitment, significant impact on the scientific community and dedication to innovative research in the field of plant biostimulants’, emphasising the value of the research within the framework of her PhD project on the ‘Study of new polymicrobial inoculants to improve the production of herbaceous and arboreal species’, under the supervision of Susanna Bartolini, assistant professor in General Arboriculture and Arboreal Cultivation at the Institute of Plant Production at the Sant'Anna School, and Annita Toffanin, assistant professor in Agricultural Microbiology at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-environmental Sciences at the University of Pisa.
Livia Pappalettere presented at the conference the results obtained from studies exploring the effects of seven bacterial strains (Azospirillum spp., Methylobacterium sp., Bacillus spp.) and two combinations of these strains on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth through hydroponic inoculation, seed priming and soil inoculation methods. Azospirillum spp., Methylobacterium sp., Bacillus spp. are plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) and endophytes due to their ability to penetrate the tissues of various herbaceous species and induce a general improvement in crop welfare and yield. More specifically, Methylobacterium symbioticum, isolated from the leaf surface is a phylobacterium, Azospirillum spp. and Bacillus spp., isolated from the root rhizosphere, are rhizobacteria.
Treatments with Azospirillum spp., Bacillus spp., and Methylobacterium sp., have been shown to be effective in improving the growth of tomato plants in hydroponic systems, seed priming and soil inoculation. In hydroponic tests on the Italian variety ‘Canestrino di Lucca’, the bacteria improved root and stem development, demonstrating a significant correlation between auxin levels produced by the microorganisms and plant growth. In a parallel manner, microbial priming of seeds increased germination rates and root length, while inoculation into the soil induced a significant increase in the biomass, length and number of the roots themselves.
These results confirm the potential of bacteria as microbial biostimulants, offering asustainable and environmentally friendlyalternative to improve tomato production, especially in hydroponic and organic growing systems.
Cover photo: Livia Pappalettere (second from left) during the award ceremony in Miami.