A fungus is always thought to be a harmful organism when they exist in humans and animals, as well as plants. But fungi – organisms that include yeasts and molds that get their nutrition by absorbing dissolved organic molecules, secreting digestive enzymes into their environment – take a bad rap.
In agriculture, they play a dual role, acting both as destructive crop pathogens and as essential partners for soil health and plant growth. Fungal infections can destroy between 20% and 40% of global annual harvests, costing billions of dollars and posing massive threats to food security.
Managing them effectively requires balancing the suppression of harmful fungal diseases against the cultivation of beneficial fungi to maximize yield and sustainability. Those that are helpful to agriculture are microscopic powerhouses used to improve crop yields, boost nutrients naturally, and reduce dependence on synthetic chemicals.
Some fungi naturally target and kill agricultural pests without relying on harsh chemicals, and help to break down organic matter, turning crops.
Researchers at the Hebrew University have developed a natural extract from the fungus Pseudozyma aphidis that can produce higher yields and better taste in specific crops. This method improves the firmness and natural sugar content of tomatoes, which today are often tasteless, as well as melons and corn, while significantly boosting production.
Their discovery offers a practical way to meet global food demands without compromising the health of the planet or the quality of produce. Because the approach uses stable microbial secretions instead of live cultures, it ensures consistent and reliable performance across various agricultural environments and climates.
The natural, eco-friendly way to significantly increase agricultural yields while also improving the quality and taste of produce was developed by Prof. Maggie Levy and researchers Anton Fennec and Neta Rotem.
They have just published their research in the journal Plant Physiology under the title “Make it grow: Pseudozyma aphidis extract promotes plant growth.” The research was supported by the Agriculture Ministry.
As the global population continues to grow, the demand for higher agricultural output has historically led to the heavy use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. These chemicals often contribute to soil and water pollution and increase greenhouse gas emissions. The new research suggests that beneficial microorganisms can offer a sustainable alternative to these traditional agricultural inputs.
While previous studies have shown that live cultures of certain fungi can help plants grow, the application of live organisms in large-scale farming is often difficult due to varying climate conditions and the unpredictability of how the colonies will establish themselves on different hosts.
To solve this, the team focused on using the extract rather than the live fungus itself. This method eliminates the dependency on living fungal colonies and leads to more consistent, repeatable results in the field environment. The results showed improvements across nearly every stage of the plants’ development.
Levy told The Jerusalem Post that treated tomato seeds displayed an 18% increase in germination rate, while corn and melon seeds increased by 7%. Plants treated with the extract flowered one to two weeks earlier than those in the control group. The treated tomato plants produced over 60% more ripe fruit by weight compared to the control group. Melon plants showed a weight increase five times greater than the untreated plants.
They saw that beyond the mass and quantity, the produce of the treated plants was of higher quality than the control. Tomatoes were found to be firmer and received higher scores in sensory taste tests for sweetness and aroma.
The researchers found that the fungus promotes growth through several mechanisms, including the production of auxin-like molecules that are natural plant hormones, as well as siderophores, which help plants absorb iron from the environment. It kills pathogens, increases immunity, and promotes growth.
Valuable tool for green agriculture
The study highlights the potential for this extract to serve as a valuable tool for green agriculture. By improving the efficiency of plant growth and the nutritional value of the produce, this approach supports the broader goal of global food security without the environmental footprint of synthetic chemicals.
“Our findings demonstrate that the extract of compounds secreted by Pseudozyma aphidis acts as an effective agent for enhancing both the quantity and the quality of agricultural produce,” said Levy. “By using a natural extract rather than live cultures, we can provide farmers with a more reliable and eco-friendly tool to increase yields and improve the flavor of the food on our tables.”
She added that “feeding the increasing global population requires higher agricultural yields while avoiding the use of harmful products. Beneficial microorganisms provide an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
“But the rapid growth of the global population and the constant demand to increase the agricultural yield require an intense use of fertilizers and pesticides. Fertilizers are a major source of nitrous oxide, which is a greenhouse gas contributing to global climate change.”
The team will continue refining the extraction process to identify the specific compounds responsible for these growth-promoting effects.
Levy became interested in farming because she was raised in the Jezreel Valley and visited her uncle, a farmer, who grew pecans, avocados, and mangos and raised chickens.
This is not Levy’s first innovation. She has been involved in three companies already. One is PsyRx, which is developing an innovative treatment for depression. The patented drug it developed combines an FDA-approved selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used to treat depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders with microdoses of ibogaine.
The company uses proprietary bioreactor and tissue-culture technology to cultivate and extract highly consistent psilocybin (from Psilocybe fungi) and extract ibogaine from the tissue of the Tabernanthe iboga Africana tree. The drug aims to shorten the time to therapeutic effect, reduce side effects, and improve the quality of life for patients.
The second company she co-founded eight years ago, based on research in mammary cell biology, is BioMilk (now Wilk), the first publicly traded company aiming to produce cultured cow and human breast milk from cells in a bioreactor. It focuses on culturing mammalian cells to produce animal-free dairy components, including proteins, lipids, and oligosaccharides.
Asked what makes this fungal extract genuinely different from previous biological solutions, Levy explained that “it’s different because we don’t use live organisms, but since it’s an extract, it is more consistent and stable and isn’t affected by the environment as much as live organisms and can be controlled better.
“If this technology succeeds commercially, it will improve not only crop yields and tastes, but it will also pollute the land and water less and be more economical. “Many imported tomatoes today are picked when they’re premature and sometimes still green, so they are less tasty when they reach supermarkets,” she noted. The fungus can be sprayed on leaves, added to the soil, or used on seeds, which could be sold with the material already included.
This can minimize the amount needed to do the job. The extract, she stated, remains stable in extreme heat or drought conditions, so it wouldn’t be affected by climate change.
She is optimistic that the extract will work on other types of crops, which would be a boon to farmers.
Levy said she had no idea how much it would cost. “It would depend on the company that commercializes it, but it certainly will be cheaper than the chemicals used today.”