Toxicological and behavioral analyses indicates the safety of a biofertilizer in the non-target D. melanogaster

The demand for food to feed the growing world population has been promoting the indiscriminate use of chemical fer-tilizers, which can be detrimental to the environment. In order to maintain high crop productivity without damaging the ecosystem, biofertilizers have emerged as alternative to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. So, environmentally safer biofertilizer can replace the exploitation of more toxic chemical fertilizer. Here, the fly Drosophila melanogaster was used to study the potential toxicity of the biofertilizer Beifort (R). Flies were exposed to high concentrations of Beifort (R) in the diet (1.8 mL/L, 9.0 mL/L and 18 mL/L), and morphological and behavioral endpoints of toxicity were analyzed (development from egg to adult age, flies longevity, climbing performance, memory and learning of an associative learning, larvae digestive tract damage and plasmid DNA break). Beifort (R) did not modify flies develop-ment, survival, digestive track cell damage, locomotor activity or memory. Beifort (R) did not induce DNA breakage vitro and had no toxicity to the non-target D. melanogaster after in vivo exposure. Thus, in addition of promoting the sustainable use of agricultural wastes, the exploitation of Beifort (R) can contribute to decrease the use of chemical fertilizers.

Automated summary

The indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers to meet the demand for food has detrimental effects on the environment. Biofertilizers have emerged as an environmentally safer alternative to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. The study shows that the biofertilizer Beifort (R) does not exhibit toxicity towards Drosophila melanogaster, indicating its potential as a substitute for chemical fertilizers.