What do patents tell us about microalgae in agriculture?

Abstract

Microalgae have been used widely as a biological source for several industries, such as biofuel, pharmaceutical and food. Recently, the agricultural industry has also began using microalgae as an alternative source for sustainable products to replace agrochemicals. Due to the lack of scientific articles in this research area, the objective of this study was to search for applications of microalgae and to characterize its use in agriculture using the patent documents available in three patent databases, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), European Patent Office (EPO) and Brazilian Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). The search was carried out using the keyword “microalgae” and applying the filter for International Patent Classification (IPC) code “A01N” which corresponds to patents related to agriculture and cultivation of microalgae. Our patent database search returned 669 documents and 132 patents were selected for the study based on their abstracts. The first patent was registered in 1982 and described the use of microalgae Chlorella extract as a plant growth promoter. After that, no patent was registered for 15 years. From 2005 to 2014, only seven patents were found. However, the scenario changed from 2015 when the number of patents increased mainly in the United States, China and Europe. The patent analysis showed several applications for microalgae in the agricultural sector, such as plant growth promotion, biofertilization, plant disease control, weed management, and post-harvest quality. This review confirmed the increasing interest in microalgae-derived products in agriculture and the value of using patent documents to assess innovative areas.

Foliar Spray or Soil Drench: Microalgae Application Impacts on Soil Microbiology, Morpho-Physiological and Biochemical Responses, Oil and Fatty Acid Profiles of Chia Plants under Alkaline Stress

“…The favorable seed and oil yields obtained in the current study may be due to the positive effect of microalgae as a high-value organic and growth regulator [ 58 ]. Additionally, this may be because microalgae have a positive effect on relative water content and nutrient status [ 59 ], increasing the ability for leaf metabolism, cell elongation, and expansion [ 60 ], as well as providing effective regulation of primarily the zinc finger protein-160 [ 61 ].…”

Could microalgae offer promising options for climate action via their agri-food applications?

“…Biofertilizers and biostimulants derived from microalgae are attracting growing attention from both researchers and farmers. This is reflected in spiking numbers of both academic papers and patents in recent years driven by factors like sustainability concerns and demand for organic food (Murata et al, 2021). At present, however, these products remain largely unexploited (Ronga et al, 2019).…”

Uso de Microalgas como Bioestimuladoras da Germinação de Sementes

“…Kaporee et al (2021) descreveram que apesar dos bioestimuladores de microalgas apresentarem efeitos comprovados no crescimento e desenvolvimento da planta, sua implementação comercial ainda é pequena devido à falta de pesquisa e custo de produção. Outra indicação de que poucos trabalhos foram publicados sobre aplicação das microalgas como bioestimuladoras na agricultura foi o estudo realizado por Murata et al (2021). Devido à falta de artigos publicados nesta área, os autores conduziram uma pesquisa focada nos pedidos de patentes que usavam microalgas na agricultura.…”

“…Na mesma década, estudos semelhantes foram conduzidos sobre o efeito de microalgas na germinação de sementes e amadurecimento de frutos (MAEDA, 1984;HISHIMUNA et al, 1989). Durante 15 anos, nenhum estudo foi publicado, somente a partir de 2015, que o número de pedidos de patentes apresentou aumento acentuado, sendo a maioria voltados para a produção de biocombustíveis (MURATA et al, 2021). Apenas duas patentes foram concedidas no uso de microalgas como biofertilizante e promotor de crescimento (CHENG et al 2017;MÓGOR et al 2019) Dentre os trabalhos selecionados neste artigo técnico, Machado et al (2018) avaliaram o efeito bioestimulante das macroalgas Sargassum vulgare e Osmundaria obtusiloba na germinação e no desenvolvimento inicial vegetativo de plântulas de feijão Phaseolus vulgaris L. Para o experimento de germinação, a biomassa obtida do cultivo das macroalgas na concentração de 500 g L -1 foi extraída por meio da adição de 1 L de água destilada a 60 ºC por 45 min a 500 g de massa seca que posteriormente, foi filtrada e armazenada a 4 ºC.…”