BioConsortia, a leader in agricultural technology specializing in microbial solutions, has announced a commercial agreement with Hodder and Taylors Ltd (H&T) of New Zealand. This partnership will introduce BioConsortia’s FixiN 33 microbial seed treatment in the 2024/2025 growing season, targeting crops such as corn, brassicas, and cereals. The treatment aims to help farmers optimize nitrogen fertilizer use while reducing environmental runoff.
Paul Oliver, Managing Director of H&T, noted that the technology offers economic benefits alongside environmental ones, stating, “This technology highlights an opportunity to reduce nitrogen fertilizer usage in New Zealand while maintaining crop yields.”
Since 2023, field trials in New Zealand have shown promising nitrogen-replacement results, consistent with earlier trials in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and Europe. BioConsortia’s CEO, Marcus Meadows-Smith, emphasized that their proprietary microbes effectively colonize crop roots, ensuring a continuous supply of nitrogen throughout the growing season.
Additionally, BioConsortia’s nitrogen-fixing seed treatments are reported to have a shelf life exceeding two years and maintain stability on seed for an additional two years, outperforming industry standards.
The company’s innovative microbial discovery platform has been key to developing this product. In light of New Zealand’s regulatory restrictions on gene-edited organisms, BioConsortia focused on identifying wildtype microbes capable of naturally fixing nitrogen, which are expected to deliver reliable yield performance.
