The traditional Brazilian cactus which could solve crop drought

The mandacuru cactus (Cereus jamacaru) is native to the semi-arid shrubland in Brazil’s Northeast, known as the Caatinga. It can easily adapt to even the most challenging types of soil and is highly drought-resistant. As such, it has become a symbol of the region and its people, who remain resilient even under the most testing circumstances. Growing up to seven meters high, the mandacuru has deep green chlorophyll-rich stems and is typically covered in thorns, allowing it to retain significant amounts of water and survive through the Caatinga’s harsh dry spells.

And it is this drought-resistant quality that has thrust the famous cactus to the forefront of Brazilian agricultural science. 

After 12 years of studies, experts from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Company (Embrapa) in São Paulo have concluded that bacteria found in mandacuru cacti can be used to increase the ability of corn plants to withstand drought.

The rhizobacteria in question, Bacillus aryabhattai, is now being used as the base of a new biological product named Auras, intended to mitigate the negative effects of drought on plants. Exclusively produced and distributed by NOOA Ciência e Tecnologia Agrícola, there are no competitor products on the market registered with the Agriculture Ministry.  

The initial focus...