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The Polyamine's Lab develops innovative microbial-based biostimulants and biopesticides that enhance crop productivity and stress tolerance, while reducing the chemical inputs in agriculture. These solutions help crops better withstand environmental challenges, both abiotic and biotic, promoting growth and yield.
Our research aims to contribute to climate-smart and sustainable agriculture by providing multifunctional biostimulants and biopesticides.
We design and develop next-generation biostimulants and biopesticides based on multifunctional plant-associated microorganisms. These microbial products not only promote plant-growth, yield and fruit quality attributes, but also enhance tolerance and resistance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Our microbial solutions aim to enhance resilience to abiotic stress (e.g., drought, salinity, cold/freezing), and to improve plant defenses against different types of pathogens (fungal, bacterial and parasitic).
What Makes Us Unique
Microbial Biobank. We house a diverse collection of over 6,000 bacterial root associated isolates, offering a rich resource for research and innovation in plant-microbe interactions.
Multifunctional Microorganisms. Our strains are selected and developed for plant growth promotion, yield enhancement, multi-stress tolerance, and priming of plant defenses, making them powerful tools for sustainable agriculture.
Integrated Expertise. We bridge microbial biotechnology, plant-microbe interaction research, and agronomy, ensuring a holistic approach from lab to field.
Specialized Knowledge in Plant Metabolism. Our team brings deep expertise in plant metabolism, including regulators of stress responses and immune modulation in plants.
End-to-End Capabilities. From bacterial isolation and characterization to greenhouse and field trials, we offer a full-cycle development pipeline tailored to your needs.
Our Services
We provide advanced technological services in:
Bacterial isolation from diverse environments
Strain characterization for functional traits
Plant response assessment under controlled and field conditions
Whether you're looking to explore microbial diversity or develop next-generation bioinoculants, we offer the tools and expertise to support your goals.
Activity sectors
Agricultural biotechnology
Sustainable crop production
Microbial biostimulants and biopesticides
Plant immunity and stress physiology
Synthetic microbial communities and bacterial consortia
Agroecological innovation
Potential Clients
Biostimulant and fertilizer companies
Agricultural R&D centers
Agritech startups
Public and private research institutions
Crop management service providers
University-industry partnerships
Contact information:
Department of Biology, Healthcare and Environment. Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences.
Universitat de Barcelona Av. Joan XXIII 27-31, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: Rubén Alcázar (ralcazar@ub.edu)
e-mail: Kostadin E. Atanasov (evgenievatanassov@ub.edu)
Funded projects
Funded projects
Referencia: PDC2021-121267-I00
Convocatoria 2021 de Ayudas a Proyectos de I+D+i para la Realización de Pruebas de Concepto
Organismo: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Rubén Alcázar
Proyecto PDC2021-121267-I00 financiado por MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 y por la Unión Europea Next GenerationEU/ PRTR
Referencia: CPP2023-010476.
New biocontrol strategies for nematode management using rhizospheric microorganisms.
Convocatoria 2023 de Proyectos de Colaboración Público-privada, del Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación.
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.
New biocontrol strategies for nematode management using rhizospheric microorganisms.
Convocatoria 2023 de Proyectos de Colaboración Público-privada, del Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación.
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.
Principal Investigator (UB): Dr. Rubén Alcázar
Coordinator: Lainco
• Proof-of-Concept project (UB) 2021 (PI: Rubén Alcázar). Convocatòria Fons de Valorització. Fons per a l'Impuls de la Innovació - Fundació Bosch i Gimpera (F2I-VAL). “Development of soil bacteria based plant growth biostimulants”.
• Proof-of-Concept project (UB) 2025 (PI: Rubén Alcázar). Convocatòria Prova de concepte 2024. Fons per a l'Impuls de la Innovació - Fundació Bosch i Gimpera. Funding: “Pararhizobium-based plant biostimulant improving abiotic stress tolerance.”
• Program Mentor in Residence (UB) 2025. Fons per a l'Impuls de la Innovació. Fundació Bosch i Gimpera “Pararhizobium-based plant biostimulant improving abiotic stress tolerance”. (PI: Rubén Alcázar).
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