BioConsortia has launched its microbial nitrogen-fixing seed treatment Always-N in New Zealand. The product is now available for growers through its distributor H&T, BioConsortia’s CEO Marcus Meadows-Smith told New AG International in an exclusive interview. The product will be called FixiN 33 in New Zealand.

Founded in Feilding in 2003, H&T is a specialist in seed coating technology.

This is the first commercial launch of Always-N, which is manufactured under contract in the USA on behalf of BioConsortia, a biotechnology development company based in Davis, California. Meadows-Smith says the company is looking to launch Always-N in the USA in 2025 and in Brazil late 2025, if all regulatory requirements have been met.

Ahead of expanding into these markets, BioConsortia has revealed its latest field-trial results for Always-N. When explaining the methodology, Meadows-Smith said that BioConsortia used the Always N seed treatment using two methodologies. The first involved adding the microbe on top of a full (100%) fertilizer practice; the second, involved adding the microbe in conjunction with 75% of the nitrogen fertilizer recommended for each crop by the CRO conducting the trial. The yield for each crop is then compared with plots receiving 100% of the N regime.

The trials were conducted over 6 replications in 25 locations on maize, as well as a range of row and field crops in the USA, including winter and spring wheat, potato, rice, cotton, lettuce, pepper, and tomato, plus maize in Brazil.

With maize in Brazil the trial produced a higher yield increase with 75% plus Always N, than the full (100% N) regime. The increase in yield for 75% N plus Always N was 5% while the additional 25% N from the full regime added back around 2%. See graphic below – bars for Brazil corn.

When discussing the results, Meadows-Smith said BioConsortia is not necessarily advocating a reduction in N of 25%, although he said the results for many crops are very compelling.

But how can this 75% N programme with N-fixing seed treatment out-perform a 100% N programme, and even add yield on top of a full fertilizer practice? Meadows-Smith says the company’s working hypothesis is that the microbes from Always-N grow with the root system. While synthetic applied N might be leached or become unavailable in the latter stages of the season, the microbes continue to provide additional N for the plant for the duration of the growing season.

Meadows-Smith said that the major technical break though of these N fixing products is that they are made from rugged spore forming microbes, so have 2 years shelf life and an additional 2-year life on seed. This makes them easy to use and suitable for industrial seed treatments.