It provides a sustainable solution to fertilizer overuse and nitrogen pollution.
Azotic Technologies, a UK-based global ag-tech company, to develop and commercialise a natural nitrogen-fixing technology (N-Fix®). N-Fix® is a disruptive technology which has the potential to totally transform agriculture and is unique to Azotic. A marketable product is now being commercialised with positive benefits to growers.
Agriculture accounts for 80 percent of total nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, mainly from the application of fertilisers, and 20 per cent of greenhouse gas discharges which impacts on climate change¹. . Azotic’s natural nitrogen fixing technology provides a sustainable solution to fertiliser overuse and nitrogen pollution.
N-Fix® is a novel technology which is derived from a naturally occurring beneficial food grade bacterium Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Gd). This is neither genetic modification (GM) nor bio-engineering. This enables plants to fix nitrogen from the air and replace up to 50 per cent of their nitrogen needs as an alternative to fertiliser. This is a patented innovative technology which will have a huge impact on agriculture – Azotic’s strain of Gd is unique in its ability to colonise plant cells intracellularly. Azotic is the only company offering an “intracellular” strain of Gd in non-legumes. The bacterium Gd does not persist as a free-living soil bacterium, it has been found only when associated with plant material, most notably sugar-cane.
Azotic’s N-Fix® technology is a new way to deliver nitrogen to plants; it is applied to plants via the seed in order to create a symbiotic relationship within the plant enabling it to substitute the nitrogen it normally takes up from the soil with atmospheric nitrogen – thus reducing dependency on nitrogen fertilisers. It works from within plant cells to fix nitrogen from root to leaf all season long. It contains no toxins, is environmentally friendly and helps reduce nitrogen pollution. It has proven efficacy in strategic crops which include corn, soybean, rice, wheat and others.
Peter Blezard, CEO of Azotic, said: “Agriculture requires more efficient and sustainable farming practices in order to increase food supply and maintain biodiversity. Positive results highlight the efficacy of our revolutionary technology in making crops nitrogen-fixing and with the resulting increased yields. This technology is a must for commercial agriculture where yield, cost and pollution needs can be optimised”
Azotic’s progression is quite remarkable. The company has developed its own strain of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Gd) and transformed that into a marketable product. The scale up and production of an inoculant via the development of a specific fermentation process has resulted in the first commercial product of its kind. Azotic is delivering this technology to market and continues to add value with new IP. Through its development work on N-Fix, Azotic has identified a new platform nitrogen technology. It will commercialise technologies based on this platform through appropriate partnerships in R&D and routes to market. There is a pipeline of products under development and these include a dry formulation and a foliar spray.
This ground-breaking nitrogen technology has achieved positive results in the USA through a Grower Partner Programme
