VIXERAN® enables farmers to optimize nitrogen fertilizer use and transition to more sustainable on-farm practices
Syngenta Crop Protection and Ceres Biotics have announced a new agreement to increase farmers’ access to VIXERAN®, a biological fertilizer that optimizes nitrogen fertilizer use.
Vixeran® is an innovative biostimulant derived from Azotobacter salinestis strain CECT9690, a microbe that can inhabit interior tissues of plants and cause no disease. Multiple modes of action allow the biostimulant to efficiently access nitrogen from the environment through the leaves and roots of the plant. VIXERAN® is designed to complement traditional nitrogen fertilizers.
While nitrogen – essential to critical plant processes such as growth, leaf-area expansion and biomass-yield production – is the most abundant, naturally-occurring gas constituting about 78% of air, plants are not able to readily access nitrogen from the environment. The use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in modern agriculture requires an energy-intensive and costly industrial process, while the widespread use of such fertilizers increases greenhouse gas emissions and lowers the sustainability of agriculture.
Jonathan Brown, Global Head Seedcare and Biologicals at Syngenta, said: “Syngenta is investing significantly to bring the most innovative biological solutions to farmers around the world. Biostimulants that boost the nutrient use efficiency of crops have a significant role in strengthening the sustainability of agriculture, and are integral to Syngenta’s efforts to improve both crop yields and soil health.”
Emilio Marin, CEO and co-founder of Ceres Biotics, highlights: “Collaberating with Syngenta we aim to bring to the market novel and sustainable biostimulants that improve nutrient use efficiency and maximize yield helping farmers implement more sustainable agricultural practices. VIXERAN® will be accessible to farmers globally, and this is a big step towards building up more sustainable crop management systems.”
VIXERAN® offers farmers greater flexibility in their nitrogen management strategies and optimizes crop performance in two key ways: it complements standard nitrogen fertilization programs to effectively boost yield potential beyond traditional methods, and, in situations where nitrogen availability is reduced due to environmental factors or supply constraints, VIXERAN® can help farmers maintain their yield targets.
The agreement follows an earlier collaboration to launch VIXERAN® in the European Union. Under the current agreement, VIXERAN will be introduced to markets globally.
