EIAR advances BOOSTER field validation of microbial biostimulants for drought-stressed teff

One of EIAR’s key contributions has been the successful development and optimisation of a protocol for the mass production of microbial biostimulants through seed coating, also known as pelleting. The activity was originally planned to be carried out by the Aphea.Bio research team in Ghent, Belgium. However, concerns emerged around the transport of coated seeds to Ethiopia, particularly because the coating process involves moisture imbibition that can trigger early physiological activity and compromise seed viability during shipment​.

Rather than allowing this limitation to slow progress, the EIAR research team, working together with researchers from the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, EBI, adapted the process locally. The teams developed, tested, and refined a seed-coating protocol directly under Ethiopian conditions, creating a robust procedure that performed successfully throughout inoculum preparation, seed coating, and germination assessments.

This achievement represents an important practical step for BOOSTER. By establishing a reliable local protocol, EIAR not only ensured that the microbial formulations could be evaluated effectively in Ethiopia, but also strengthened the project’s capacity to test drought-resilience solutions under the environmental conditions where they are most needed.

The work has now progressed into field validation. EIAR researchers have started evaluating selected microbial biostimulants and seaweed extracts under moisture-stress conditions at the Melkassa and Bishoftu research locations using irrigation-based trials. Land preparation, field layout, planting, and agronomic management activities have already been completed, while trial management and data collection are currently ongoing.

These field activities are helping BOOSTER move closer to understanding how microbial formulations and seaweed-based treatments can support teff performance under drought stress. At the same time, they reinforce the project’s broader ambition of developing practical and scalable approaches for improving crop resilience in regions increasingly affected by water scarcity.