The partnership is aimed at developing yield enhancing in-furrow and seed treatment products that can be used either stand-alone or in combination with conventional chemistries and fertilizers.

BioConsortia has already discovered naturally-occurring spore forming microbes capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen and colonizing corn, wheat and other non-leguminous plants. With targeted traditional and cutting-edge strain improvement and gene editing technologies, the company will develop natural and improved strain microbial products that will increase crop yields while maintaining or reducing nitrogen fertilizer inputs.

The collaboration project will utilize BioConsortia’s patented advanced microbial selection process and other proprietary tools, including multi-trait screening, colonization technologies, genomics and gene editing, as well as the company’s existing collection of nitrogen fixing bacteria. The collaboration has a comprehensive development and field trial phase, followed by a distribution agreement for row crops in the Americas.

In addition to nitrogen fixing products, Mosaic will also have access to BioConsortia’s pipeline of phosphorus and potassium solubilization microbial products that could be combined with Mosaic’s existing range of potash and phosphate fertilizers to deliver a new generation of improved fertilizer products. Mosaic will have exclusive rights to the nitrogen fixing technology for core row crops in the Americas, initially focused on corn, wheat, cotton and sugarcane.

BioConsortia will retain all rights to the technology for fruit, vegetable, turf and ornamental crops and for all uses outside of the Americas. Under the agreement BioConsortia will receive an upfront payment and research funding, as well as royalties.