Page 10 - AWA-41-No.1 issue

CROP PROTECTION

BioConsortia and H&T Partner to Launch Nitrogen-

Fixing Microbial Seed Treatment in New Zealand

ew Nitrogen-fixing seed treat- usage in New Zealand, delivering Revolutionary Microbial Dis-
Nment extends shelf-life to 2+ both economic and environmen- covery Engine
years in package/warehouse, plus tal benefits while maintaining crop
additional years life on seed, in- yields.” BioConsortia’s flexible microbe
creases yield with reduced fertil- discovery platform played a piv-
Marcus Meadows-Smith, CEO of otal role in this innovation. Given
izer on multiple crops, and comes BioConsortia, added, “Our propri-
in easy-to-use product formats. New Zealand’s regulatory restric-
etary microbes effectively colonize tions on gene-edited organisms,
BioConsortia, Inc., a leader in agri- crop roots, ensuring there is always BioConsortia identified wildtype
cultural technology specializing in nitrogen available to influence crop microbes from its extensive library
advanced microbial solutions to en- yield. These microbes remain ac- that naturally fix nitrogen. These mi-
hance crop productivity and reduce tive in the root zone throughout the crobes, with intrinsic genetic traits
agriculture’s ecological impact, has growing season, converting atmo- enabling nitrogen fixation, deliver
announced a commercial agree- spheric nitrogen into plant-accessi- reliable yield performance.
ment with New Zealand-based H&T ble forms even after synthetic fertil-
(Hodder and Taylors Ltd). H&T, izers dissipate.” A Game-Changing Innovation in
known for improving crop and for- Setting a New Standard for Shelf Agriculture
age systems on New Zealand farms, Stability and Seed Life Combining cutting-edge discov-
will introduce BioConsortia's FixiN ery and advanced gene-editing ca-
33 microbial seed treatment during BioConsortia's nitrogen-fixing pabilities, BioConsortia’s platform
the 2024/2025 season. This innova- seed treatments boast a shelf life represents a breakthrough in micro-
tive seed coating will be available exceeding two years and maintain bial seed and fertilizer treatments.
for corn, brassicas, and cereals, on-seed stability for an additional “Our seed-applied products offer
helping growers optimize nitrogen two years—far surpassing industry unmatched ease of use for growers,
fertilizer use while reducing runoff norms. ensuring strong yields without re-
and environmental impact.
“Our use of Gram-positive mi- lying on increased synthetic nitro-
Since 2023, BioConsortia and H&T crobes, known for their inherent gen,” said Meadows-Smith.
have conducted successful field tri- stability and reliability as root The collaboration between Bio-
als in New Zealand, demonstrating colonizers, underpins this break- Consortia and H&T marks a sig-
nitrogen-replacement results con- through,” explained Dr. Hong Zhu, nificant step forward in sustainable
sistent with earlier trials conducted Senior VP of R&D at BioConsortia. agriculture, providing New Zealand
since 2021 in the U.S., Canada, Bra- “Through our proprietary R&D plat- farmers with tools to achieve higher
zil, and Europe. Paul Oliver, H&T form, we’ve unlocked the nitrogen- productivity and reduced environ-
Managing Director, stated, “This fixing potential of these microbes,
technology highlights an oppor- creating ideal candidates for seed mental impact.
tunity to reduce nitrogen fertilizer treatment products.” Circle 10 on enquiry card
8 Vol. 41 No. 1