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Wednesday / April 16. 2025

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HomePosts Tagged "BioConsortia"
Agbiologicals, Agribusiness, New Zealand, R&D, Seeds

This innovative seed treatment will be available for maize, cereals, brassicas and pasture seed, helping growers reduce nitrogen losses and environmental impact while maintaining yield.

BioConsortia, Inc., a California based leader in agricultural technology, specializing in advanced microbial solutions to enhance crop productivity and reduce agriculture’s ecological impact, has announced a commercial agreement with New Zealand-based seed company Hodder and Taylors Ltd (H&T).  H&T, known for improving crop and forage systems on New Zealand farms, will introduce BioConsortia’s AlwaysN microbial seed treatment during the 2025 season. This innovative seed treatment will be available for maize, cereals, brassicas and pasture seed, helping growers reduce nitrogen losses and environmental impact while maintaining yield.

Since 2023, BioConsortia and H&T have conducted successful field trials in New Zealand, demonstrating nitrogen-replacement results consistent with earlier trials conducted since 2021 in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and Europe.

Paul Oliver, H&T Managing Director, stated, “This technology offers a new opportunity to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use in New Zealand agriculture, delivering both economic and environmental benefits while maintaining crop performance.”

Marcus Meadows-Smith, CEO of BioConsortia, added, “Our proprietary microbes effectively colonise crop roots, ensuring there is always nitrogen available to influence crop yield. These microbes remain active in the root zone throughout the growing season, converting atmospheric nitrogen into plant-accessible forms even after synthetic fertilisers dissipate.”

Setting a New Standard for Shelf Stability and Seed LifeBioConsortia’s nitrogen-fixing seed treatments boast a shelf life exceeding two years and maintain on-seed stability for an additional two years, far surpassing industry norms.

“Our use of Gram-positive microbes, known for their inherent stability and reliability as root colonisers, underpins this breakthrough,” explained Dr. Hong Zhu, Senior VP of R&D at BioConsortia. “Through our proprietary R&D platform, we’ve unlocked the nitrogen-fixing potential of these microbes, creating ideal candidates for seed treatment products.”

BioConsortia’s flexible microbe discovery platform played a pivotal role in this innovation. Given New Zealand’s regulatory restrictions on gene-edited organisms, BioConsortia identified wild-type microbes from its extensive library that naturally fix nitrogen. These microbes, with intrinsic genetic traits enabling nitrogen fixation, deliver reliable yield performance.

Combining cutting-edge discovery and advanced gene-editing capabilities, BioConsortia’s platform represents a breakthrough in microbial seed and fertiliser treatments. “Our seed-applied products offer unmatched ease of use for growers, ensuring strong yields without relying on increased synthetic nitrogen,” said Meadows-Smith.

The collaboration between BioConsortia and H&T marks a significant step forward in sustainable agriculture, providing New Zealand farmers with tools to achieve higher productivity and reduced environmental impact.

This innovative seed treatment will be available

Biostimulants, Company News

Field trials consistently demonstrate a 15 per cent yield improvement in fruits and vegetables

BioConsortia, Inc. and The Mosaic Company  have entered into a new agreement to distribute BioConsortia’s new microbial biostimulant in Asia. The new biostimulant BEC69 is branded as ZAFFRE™ in North America, and is expected to provide growers with significant value by optimizing root conditions to help the plant use available nutrients in the soil. It is based on naturally occurring, beneficial bacteria that colonize the roots of plants, stimulate growth, and increase crop yields.

ZAFFRE has demonstrated a high level of consistency in field trials in the United States on a wide range of crops, both as a drench and as a seed treatment. Key fruit and vegetable crops such as tomatoes and beans have repeatedly demonstrated yield increases averaging 15% over multiple seasons of study. The biostimulant has also repeatedly shown positive impacts on germination of high value vegetable seeds in both stressed and optimal conditions. ZAFFRE can be used alongside BioConsortia’s nitrogen fixing microbial products.

Kim Nicholson, Mosaic Vice President of AgTech and Innovation, Strategy and Growth, stated, “Effective biostimulants are a powerful tool in our strategy to provide growers with plant nutrient products that help them increase their yields and profits, while caring for their soils and the environment. We are excited to see the potential of BEC69 in China and other Asian markets where our local sales and marketing teams are developing a strong business.”

Marcus Meadows-Smith, CEO, BioConsortia added, “Mosaic has proven to be a strong partner, and is growing and innovating in the areas of plant nutrition and soil health. We are proud that Mosaic will be introducing this product to their customers in Asia, as ZAFFRE has already demonstrated high consistency and potency in the USA.”

Field trials consistently demonstrate a 15 per