Fixed it
BioConsortia has begun the first field trials for a revolutionary microbial technology . Andrew Warmington spoke to the CEO
It was a significant moment – and not just for the two companies involved – when fertiliser giant Mosaic and BioConsortia , a company rooted in natural microbial products , agreed a collaboration to develop and launch nitrogen ( N ) - fixing microbial products for corn , wheat and other major non-legume row crops at the end of 2020 . Field trials are now taking place in the US and Canada , involving BioConsortia and CROs alongside Mosaic ’ s own ongoing trials . The initial aim is to “ match the yield performance of products from PivotBio and Azotic , and leap frog them for robustness and ease of use ”. Alongside this , Mosaic also gained access to BioConsortia ’ s phosphorus and potassium solubilisation microbial products for use with its own fertilisers based on these chemistries . Hitherto , despite being a $ 9 billion / year company , it had not had any nitrogen activity and saw this as a big gap in its portfolio .
Moving into nitrogen
In biological N-fixation , beneficial microbes are introduced that are able to produce N naturally in the forms that plants most need . This helps to significantly reduce the use of nitrogen fertilisers , which are critical to food production but have many unintended environmental impacts , notably leaching into groundwater and consequent pollution of watercourses . The technology is also applicable to N-fixation in the other big volume non-legume crops , including cotton and sugarcane . The relationship with Mosaic in row crops , which is by far the largest market for fertilisers , is exclusive in the Americas . However , says BioConsortia CEO Marcus Meadows-Smith , “ once we get this established , we will look for other partners for fruit and vegetables , turf and ornamental , home and garden , and for all markets in the rest of the world ”. After the Americas , BioConsortia will be looking for other partners around the world . Europe is another huge market where legislators are keen to reduce the environmental impacts of farming so , despite the slower registration processes there , Meadows-Smith expects to start discussions later this year . Two months after the deal with Mosaic , BioConsortia announced an expansion of its R & D laboratories and team – currently about 45-strong - with a new facility at its headquarters in Davis , California . This comprises
Reinoculation ( after 1st round )
Recruit & enrich beneficial microbes
Original soil samples ( starting with dozens of different soils to maximize microbial diversity )
Iterative process completed with or without a selective pressure
Isolation of microbes from ‘ best plant ’
Microbiome from the best plants is moved to next round
Plant phenotype selection & microbiome transfer
Figure 1 – AMS process
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