Rice Fertilization: Utilizing Posidonia Remnants for Sustainable Cultivation

The University of Alicante and Portugal's ITQB NOVA are joining forces to combat the rising abiotic stress caused by soil salinity in the Mediterranean region. This collaboration is supported by the Generalitat through grants for stays of doctorate holders in research centers outside the Valencian Community, under the 2025 call.

Professor Borja Fernández Gómez, from the University of Alicante's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, is leading a three-month research stay at the 'Plant Gene Regulation' laboratory of ITQB NOVA. The group at ITQB NOVA specialises in studying how plants, particularly rice, respond to factors such as salinity, drought, or cold.

The research is focused on transforming waste from Posidonia oceanica, a seagrass native to the Mediterranean, into sustainable fertilizers. These fertilizers are intended to help mitigate the impact of salt stress in rice cultivation. The use of these bioactive compounds aligns with European fertilizer regulations (Regulation EU 2019/1009) promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly products.

Posidonia oceanica, if kept safe from pollution, uncontrolled tourism, boat anchoring, and climate change, could be part of the solutions to environmental and agricultural challenges in the 21st century. The strategy proposed by Professor Fernández Gómez aims to improve rice tolerance to salt stress using bioactive compounds from Posidonia remains.

This international collaboration between the University of Alicante and ITQB NOVA strengthens the UA's research vocation and commitment to scientific solutions to these challenges. ITQB NOVA, one of Europe's leading centers in molecular biocciences, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table.

The research is driven by a growing concern about abiotic stress caused by soil salinity in the Mediterranean region due to increasing temperatures, decreasing rainfall, and consequent water scarcity. The search results do not contain information about who is researching the use of Posidonia oceanica waste products as sustainable fertilizers to improve rice plant growth under saline stress in the Valencian Community. However, this collaboration promises to yield valuable insights and potential solutions to this pressing issue.