The invisible micro-revolution in Brazilian agriculture: microorganisms promoting plant growth

While the world debates how to produce more food without destroying the planet, a silent micro-revolution is taking place in Brazilian croplands. It occurs in the soil, in plant roots, and in the interaction between microorganisms and crops. At the center of this transformation are bioinputs—biological solutions that are redefining food production. This shift represents a new production logic: replacing, partially or entirely, chemical inputs with biological products or processes, increasing resource-use efficiency, and reducing environmental impacts—without compromising productivity. In other words, producing more with less while restoring soil health, shaping a thriving regenerative agriculture.

Few countries have made as much progress as Brazil in this direction. But these achievements are the result of a long history of research, technological and industrial development, and legislative support—a history that spans 70 years. Moreover, Decree No. 10,375 of May 26, 2020 launched the National Bioinputs Program, bringing greater prominence to the topic. In this text, we will focus on the class of bioinputs that includes plant growth-promoting microorganisms. This group encompasses both bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen and microorganisms involved in other microbial processes, such as phosphate solubilization. Commercial products containing these living microorganisms are referred to in Brazil as inoculants and, in some countries, as biofertilizers.

Research, scientific outreach, and bioinputs in soybean cultivation — the main success story not only in Brazil but worldwide lies in Brazilian soybean crops. The story began thanks to the visionary intervention of two great Brazilian researchers in the early 1960s: the microbiologists Prof. João Ruy Jardim Freire and Dr. Johanna Döbereiner. They convinced the national committee responsible for studying how to expand soybean crops in the country to adopt bacteria capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen for plant nitrogen nutrition. These bacteria, in the case of soybeans, are known as Bradyrhizobium spp., and they capture nitrogen from the air and transform it into an essential nutrient for plant growth.

Since then, Brazilian research has never stopped. It has continuously sought more efficient strains, more responsive soybean genotypes to these bacteria, and improved technologies for microorganism application. Research has also supported industrial development, including the establishment of the first inoculant industries, and helped shape the principles of Brazilian legislation for these inputs. With ongoing research—which is necessary because crop dynamics require yearly technological updates—the necessary advances have been achieved. These advances have consistently ensured that bacteria selected through research can fully meet the nitrogen requirements of soybeans, even for high-yield cultivars.

In addition, decades of scientific outreach and extension activities have empowered Brazilian farmers with knowledge about inoculants. Farmers have come to recognize their benefits, resulting in the highest adoption rate in the world: 85% of the total soybean area in Brazil—more than 40 million hectares in the 2025/26 growing season—used bioinputs.

Expansion to other crops and cost reduction — the economic return from the use of biological nitrogen fixation in soybean cultivation led farmers to demand solutions for other crops, especially maize. Once again, research was ready to seek solutions and, after intensive bioprospecting, two strains of Azospirillum brasilense were identified: one with the capacity for nitrogen fixation (modest but important) and another capable of synthesizing phytohormones, which strongly stimulate root growth, facilitating water and nutrient absorption. Once again, the benefits were confirmed by farmers and, in the 2025/26 growing season, these bacteria were already used on more than 10 million hectares.

But the micro-revolution did not stop there. New technologies are expanding the gains. One of the most promising examples is soybean co-inoculation—the combination of different microorganisms with complementary functions: the “nitrogen industry” (Bradyrhizobium spp.) and the “phytohormone industry” (Azospirillum brasilense), which double the benefits. As an example of the impact, in an extension study conducted over five years with 3,299 family farmers in Paraná—producers with a maximum cropland of 50 hectares—the economic return from the use of co-inoculation was US$111 per hectare. Within a decade, the technology had already been adopted across 57% of the total soybean cultivation area in Brazil.

Need for continuous investment in research — despite the advances, the rapid growth of the sector poses important challenges, such as ensuring product quality. Contrary to what one might think, bioinputs such as inoculants are not simple to produce. They require scientific knowledge, rigorous control, and field validation. Low-quality products can compromise results, spread pathogens, and jeopardize the credibility of the technology. For this reason, experts warn: success depends on science, regulation, and good practices. Another critical point is investment in research. Brazil has built its leadership based on decades of research. Reducing resources in this area could undermine the capacity for innovation precisely at a time when new challenges—such as climate change and emerging pests—demand even more advanced solutions.

There is no doubt that the impact of inoculants in Brazil is enormous. Considering only soybean cultivation and the most recent crop season, the savings from not using nitrogen fertilizers amounted to US$29 billion. In addition, 280 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions were avoided—equivalent to the carbon that would be absorbed by 4.6 billion tree seedlings growing over a period of 10 years. Furthermore, inoculants reduce dependence on imported chemical inputs, stimulate national industrial development and products based on Brazilian biodiversity, thus strengthening the bioeconomy. Brazil has also demonstrated to the world that microorganisms can sustain high levels of productivity.

Undoubtedly, the future of agriculture has already begun—it is biological. Brazil is at the forefront of this transformation.