Prof. Dr. Sevcan Aydın from Istanbul University Faculty of Science, Department of Biology: - “We make bioremediation solutions with microalgae and fungi to improve soil health and try to produce solutions that will increase beneficial organisms to restore biodiversity in the soil” - “We combine different organisms such as microalgae, fungi, bacteria and integrate them into the systems of wastewater treatment plants. In this way, we aim to ensure that treated wastewater and sludge can be used more easily and safely in agricultural areas.”

Istanbul University Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Sevcan Aydın reported that they are working on solutions to increase biodiversity in the soil, whose yield decreases with climate change, and spheres consisting of microorganisms to treat wastewater more easily with biological methods.

According to the 2020 Agriculture and Food Report of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD), while the average yield losses between 2030 and 2039 is around 6-7 percent, this rate is estimated to reach 8-9 percent in 2040-2049. Each 1 degree Celsius increase in global average temperature is expected to reduce global average land yields by 6 percent for wheat, 7.4 percent for maize, 3.2 percent for rice and 3.1 percent for soybeans.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which evaluates around 1000 model results in academic studies published worldwide, predicts that a 3-degree increase in global average temperatures will cause a 25-50 percent loss of yield. For this reason, the importance of research conducted in anticipation of the adverse effects of climate change on water and soil in the future is increasing.

In the “Development of Biotechnological Solution Proposals for Combating Climate Change Specific to Water and Soil Health” research within the Sustainable Agricultural Technologies Platform (S-ATP), which was implemented to develop, disseminate and implement innovative and sustainable technologies that will adapt to global climate change in the agricultural sector, technologies for the protection of soil biodiversity and plant nutrition and health with biological agents are being studied.

Aydın, who conducted the research, told AA correspondent that the deterioration of water and soil health due to climate change affects the ecological balance, especially biodiversity, and this spreads to humans with a domino effect.

Stating that a healthy soil can feed the plant, so there is no need for any additional fertilization, Aydın said “When soil biodiversity is decreasing and harmful organisms increase, the plant becomes unhealthy. It becomes impossible to produce these products without any fertilization. There is a need for chemical or biological fertilization from externally. For this reason, soil health and soil organisms need to be restored so that we could reduce the impact of climate change.”

- “We are trying to produce solutions that will increase beneficial organisms”

Aydın stated that they are working on solutions to determine the biodiversity potential of the soil, prevent its degradation and provide early intervention without harming biodiversity, and spheres consisting of microorganisms to treat wastewater more easily and efficiently with biological methods.

Explaining that they develop new products and systems using living systems or organisms in biotechnology, Aydın shared the following information about their work:

“We are preparing bioremediation solutions with microalgae and fungi to increase soil health and we are trying to produce solutions that will increase beneficial organisms to restore biodiversity in the soil. As for our second project... Treated wastewater and sludge are used a lot in irrigation of agricultural areas. The pesticides used here are also contaminated into these waters, so these waters need to be treated effectively in order to be used in agricultural areas. In this project, we are based on aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment plants of wastewater treatment plants. Here again, we combine different organisms such as microalgae, fungi and bacteria and integrate them into the systems of wastewater treatment plants. In this way, we aim to ensure that treated wastewater and sludge can be used more easily and safely in agricultural environments.”