Excalibur: a new era for sustainable agriculture
The ‘One Health’ approach is essential for tackling both present and future agricultural and environmental challenges: human health, plant health, and soil health are all deeply interconnected. This was one of the key takeaways from the final conference of the European project EXCALIBUR, held
under the title “Exciting Bioinoculants, Lasting Legacy on Soil”, which took place in early May in Rome.
The event marked the conclusion of six years of intense research on soil biodiversity and brought
together scientists, farmers, policymakers, and representatives from other European initiatives to
share the latest developments in the use of bioinoculants and their long-term impact on soil health.
Since its launch in 2019, the EXCALIBUR project aimed to enhance agricultural sustainability through
the use of microbial bioinoculants—both biofertilisers and biopesticides—and to study their
long-term effects on soil health.
EXCALIBUR’s strategy is to provide practical solutions and tangible outcomes for farmers, the primary end-user group of its results. To this end, the consortium investigated the impact of three different
groups of microorganisms used as bioinoculants (covering both biofertilisers and biopesticides),
analysing their behaviour and effectiveness in three key crops: strawberry, tomato, and apple, under
both laboratory and field conditions.
Among the main findings presented at the conference were:
• The effectiveness of microbial bioinoculants depends on numerous factors, including plant
type, soil type and management (organic or conventional), application method, product formulation, quality, and persistence in the soil. This confirms that there is no universal biofertiliser
or biopesticide that is suitable for all crops or conditions.
• With the right bioinoculants, similar yields can be achieved using fewer chemical inputs,
resulting in reduced pesticide use, less environmental pollution, and lower human health risks.
These products also influence not only crop yields but also the severity of plant diseases without significantly increasing costs compared to traditional inputs.
• The fundamental role of micro- and mesofauna in soil health was demonstrated—key components of biodiversity and the ecological balance within farming systems.
• All knowledge generated has been integrated into a model that describes soil health and fertility using not only chemical but also biological parameters. This model has led to the development of an easy-to-use decision-support tool for farmers, allowing them to assess soil quality and receive recommendations on suitable bioinoculants and their application methods.
Strategic conclusions from the final EXCALIBUR conference in Rome include:
• Healthy soil is the foundation of resilient agriculture and must be a top priority to ensure food
security and long-term sustainability.
• The bioinoculant market is still relatively new, making it vital to adapt to current regulatory
frameworks. As part of the project, specific guidelines have been developed to facilitate this
regulatory process.
• During a roundtable with representatives from other European projects, such as SIMBA,
SoilDiverAgro and LANDSUPPORT, the complex concept of soil health was discussed. It is
difficult to quantify soil health due to the many variables involved—production capacity,
sustainability, land use, biological indicators, and more. Consequently, the importance of
organising and centralising data from such projects was emphasised, to enable meaningful
insights.
• The 'One Health' approach (human health, plant health, soil health) is essential for addressing
the agricultural and environmental challenges of today and tomorrow.
About EXCALIBUR EXCALIBUR
Is an international research project launched in June 2019 and funded by the European Union’s research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 under grant no. 817946. EXCALIBUR, led by Dr Stefano Mocali at the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA, Italy), brings together 15 other European partners: NHM and NIAB (UK), InHort and Intermag (Poland), RI.NOVA and UNITO (Italy), KIS (Slovenia), NIOO-KNAW (The Netherlands), UCPH (Denmark), TUGRAZ (Austria), UGR and IZERTIS (Spain), INplus (France) and KOB and FOEKO (Germany).