BioConsortia Inc., Davis, Calif., a developer of microbial solutions for plant trait enhancement and yield improvement, announced on Oct. 9 that it has added a wheat seed treatment to its list of new biological products moving to the registration phase.
The company said the new product has been tested on spring and winter wheat in at least 20 field trials over the past two years, with positive yield increase and good consistency. BioConsortia said the product will be registered under various U.S. state registration systems, and the company is now seeking a partner to take the product to market.
“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 Dr. Hong Zhu, BioConsortia’s head of R&D.
BioConsortia said the new product is based on spore-forming bacteria that are compatibility with commercially available chemical seed treatments. The product’s mode of action produces strong root colonization across a wide range of soils and environmental conditions, which the company said enhances the plant’s nutrient uptake and leads to higher wheat yields. BioConsortia said it expects the final product to give a 5x ROI for growers.
“The 2019 spring field trials results confirmed the greenhouse and prior year’s field trials 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.”