Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi set to revolutionize agriculture

Imagine a project that could transform agriculture by making plants more resistant and healthier. That is the ambition of AM^FACTORY, an ambitious European program led by Professor Stéphane Declerck of the UCLouvain Mycology Laboratory (Earth and Life Institute).

Selected from a total of 2200 proposals, it is the only Belgian project to have been chosen by the European Innovation Council as part of the Pathfinder program, which aims to promote large-scale disruptive innovations.

Over a period of three years, this program, coordinated by UCLouvain and funded with €3 million, involves research teams from Ghent University, Imperial College London, the University of Turin, and the Max Planck Institute (Germany), with the aim of developing and deploying innovative solutions in the field of mycology and sustainable agriculture. 

The crucial role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant nutrition and crop yield is well known and has attracted the interest of biotechnology companies around the world.

"However, current production methods in greenhouses are susceptible to contamination, require a lot of space, and are therefore not compatible with large-scale production. AM^FACTORY offers an innovative solution using synthetic biology, microbial engineering, and bioprocesses to produce high-concentration, contamination-free, low-cost AMF spores", explains Prof. Stéphane Declerck. 

AM^FACTORY's objectives

- Improve plant roots in vitro by genetically modifying them to produce more fatty acids and export them to AM^FACTORY.

- Create microbial factories that produce large quantities of specific molecules capable of helping AM^FACTORY associate with plant roots.

- Optimize in vitro production using advanced techniques such as bioreactor culture coupled with automated imaging and analysis tools.

- Increase production while complying with European Union safety and quality standards. 

Support for the EU's zero-carbon ambition 

The European biofertilizer market is growing rapidly and will increase from $1.14 billion in 2025 to $1.79 billion by 2030. AM^FACTORY is part of this trend, offering a potential alternative to synthetic fertilizers, which are a major source of pollution in aquatic ecosystems.

Finally, this development is part of a broader movement within the agricultural sector: since 2022, 16.9 million hectares (10.5% of EU agricultural land) have been devoted to organic farming, and European targets aim to increase this share to 25% by 2030. The solution developed by AM^FACTORY could thus become a major lever in supporting the “zero pollution” ambition and strengthening the EU's climate resilience.

With clear objectives and cutting-edge techniques to achieve them, this project could contribute to the transformation of European agriculture by making crops more resilient and environmentally friendly. 

This article was originally written in French by the AREC team of UCLouvain. It is available to be read here.