New Wheat Seed Treatment Seeks Registration
BioConsortia, Inc., a California-based company that creates microbial solutions for plants, recently announced plans to register a new wheat seed treatment. The company is currently seeking partners with whom to launch the product.
The seed treatment is a biostimulant, meaning a growth-promoting product that is said to increase yields in a wide variety of soil conditions. This specific biostimulant seed treatment uses spore-forming bacteria that are compatible with commercially available synthetic seed treatments.
“Beyond the yield gain, the high stability, low-use rate and favorable cost of goods make the lead product a perfect candidate for combination products and life cycle management with existing synthetic seed treatment fungicides and insecticides,” said Hong Zhu, head of research and development at BioConsortia.
Farmers should expect a yield boost of several bushels, according to the company. The seed treatment colonizes on wheat root systems in a wide variety of soil types, fertility treatments and environments. Specifically, the root colonization helps the plant acquire nutrients, leading to better nutrient efficiencies and higher yields.
The company says it will register the product across U.S. state registration systems. It will likely be sold for tank mix with and in combination with a fungicide/insecticide seed treatment. Furthermore, BioConsortia expects the final product will provide five-times return on investment to farmers.
“The 2019 spring field trial results confirmed the greenhouse and prior year’s field trial results,” said BioConsortia CEO, Marcus Meadows-Smith. “Our products increase yield on top of best agronomic practice in both low- and high-yielding growing conditions, which is not always the case for microbial products.”