Tropentag, September 10 - 12, 2025, Bonn "Reconciling land system changes with planetary health"

Valorising neglected and underutilised crops: role of bio-inoculants in improving productivity

¹Leibniz Institute for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Biotic , Germany
²University of Rostock, Crop Production
³University of Buea, Agronomic and Applied Molecular Sciences
⁴Leibniz Institute for VegetBle and Ornamental Crops, Germany

Abstract

Global food and nutrition insecurity is generally attributed to low crop productivity, which is caused by poor crop diversity, crop pests and diseases, soil degradation and nutrient deficiency, and inadequate crop nutrition. These constraints are exacerbated by climate change dynamics. Neglected and underutilised crops (NUCs) have the potential to significantly alleviate food and nutrition insecurity by improving crop productivity via agroecosystem resilience and sustainability. Moreover, soil fertility and crop health management practices for neglected and underutilised crops are consistent with conventional agronomic practices. However, to maximise crop yields per unit area of cultivable land for some neglected and underutilised crops, detailed studies are necessary to provide insight into their genetic diversity and nutritional status, viable seed systems, appropriate soil fertility management techniques, and potential climate change adaptation strategies. Thereby, providing situational insights to facilitate decision making on relevant policies that can enable the adoption of some neglected and underutilised crops in local diets with potential for adaptation to current and future food security shocks. The use of bio-inoculants from plant and microbial origins represent a promising technique for unlocking their potential of some neglected and underutilised crops. Locally produced bio-inoculants are being tested on both conventional and NUCs with promising outcomes for local food systems. Recent field trials with these bio-inoculants have demonstrated the ability to enhance the productivity of both conventional and neglected/underutilised crops by boosting soil fertility and crop nutrition with reduced chemical fertiliser use, improving crop health by controlling pests and diseases, alleviating soil acidity, and promoting drought tolerance, etc. These findings are emphasising the importance of systems-based integrated management approaches that valorize biological amendments and crop biodiversity to construct resilient and productive agroecosystems.

Keywords: Bioactivity, climate change, food security, microbial inoculant, plant extracts

Contact Address: Marie Noela Enyoe Olougou, Leibniz Institute for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Biotic , Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, 14979 Großbeeren, Germany, e-mail: enyoe.olougougmail.com