Anuvia Plant Nutrients, Winter Garden, Fla., and biological solutions company Novozymes, Raleigh, N.C., announced on Oct. 5 that they have joined forces to develop a range of combined biotechnologies that will reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers in commercial agriculture. They said the resulting products could be available as soon as next year.
The parties expect their products to achieve equivalent or better crop performance than synthetic fertilizers and reduce environmental impact through lower nutrient loss and greenhouse gas emissions. They added that there will be no incremental cost to the grower, nor will they require changes to current farming practices.
“By pairing Anuvia’s sustainable products with Novozymes’ advanced biotechnologies, we are changing the paradigm of plant nutrition by making bio-nutrients a standard tool in commercial agriculture,” said Anuvia CEO Amy Yoder. “Through this partnership, we aim to double the nutritional value of Anuvia’s products without adding a single unit of synthetic nutrient or increasing the volume used.”
“Novozymes and Anuvia share a vision of providing innovative and sustainable solutions to farmers by using biologicals derived from naturally-occurring materials,” said Thomas Stenfeldt Batchelor, Novozymes’ Vice President for Agriculture Marketing & Strategy. “This partnership will allow for rapid development and deployment of advanced nutrient technology to promote sustainable and efficient commercial agriculture for the benefit of farmers, consumers and the environment.”
As a first step, the partnership will combine Novozymes’ phosphate solubilizing microbial solutions with Anuvia’s sustainable bio-based fertilizer products to enhance macro-nutrient efficiency with a focus on phosphate. The partnership envisions several generations of the new technology. The first generation is anticipated to add up to 10 units of phosphorous. Subsequent generations will target the replacement of additional units of macro and micronutrients, such as N, P, and K.
The companies will also work together to identify additional microbes and enzymes that could improve the nutritional efficiency and health of crops.
Anuvia already manufactures sustainable bio-based fertilizers for the agriculture, turf, and lawn care industries. The Mosaic Co., Tampa, licensed Anuvia’s technology for Susterra ™, its first bio-based phosphate product (GM Sept. 25, 2020).