The vision of BiOWiSH Technologies has long been focused on making agriculture more efficient and sustainable. After more than a decade of in-depth research on microorganisms, as well as gaining a thorough understanding of field agriculture and the fertilizer industry, the BiOWiSH team developed an innovative program with our unique technology as a fertilizer enhancement that drive benefits for farmers and the environment — with the help of synergistic and stable microorganisms. The microbial fertilizer enhancement increases nutrient use efficiency and supports nutrient uptake.
Increasing crop production and enhancing the effectiveness of fertility programs correlate to sustainability benefits. The key to understanding how the BiOWiSH® Fertilizer Enhancement can be a climate-smart sustainability tool lies in the way our novel technology works.
The “Roots” of Bio-Enhanced Fertilizer Powered by BiOWiSH®
For a long time, it was believed that microorganisms were only active in the soil adjacent to roots, until it was discovered that a class of microorganisms — endophytes — actually integrate within the root system. Endophytes play a critical role in supporting plant nutrient uptake by circulating in and out of the plant roots. This process is known as the rhizophagy cycle and is especially used by beneficial bacteria.
Fertilizers exist to disperse nutrients onto the soil and then into the plant. The microbes of the BiOWiSH® Fertilizer Enhancement act as a mode of transport for nutrients into the plant, as well as a catalyst for root exudate production that fosters microbial establishment in the rhizosphere. These together enable the release of bound nutrients from the soil, thus improving the efficiency of the fertilizer application.
The exudates produced by the plant stimulate and feed the native soil microorganisms, resulting in an ecosystem that is symbiotic and multilayered. Thanks to this collaboration, the plant effectively turns into a farmer itself: the plant has its own colony of microorganisms, which it dynamically feeds and manages to help itself grow. BiOWiSH discovered how to leverage the biotic synergy of these beneficial microorganisms with the native soil biology and the plant. We call this effect our HoloGene 3™ technology. It’s a cycle that optimizes soil conditions for greater root mass and improves soil conditions for increased plant vigor. The result is optimized yield potential by improved nutrient uptake.
Our expert R&D and engineering teams have designed a unique production process which allows the microbes to be coated onto dry fertilizers, or mixed with liquid fertilizers, while maintaining their viability. Our coating and quality control innovations maintain the stability of the microorganisms. This also preserves the physical and chemical properties of the fertilizer in order to meet the shelf-life integrity requirements of the global fertilizer industry. Stability through the supply chain is important because it results in a product that is easy to use for the grower, with a consistently strong value proposition.
For example, BiOWiSH® is the only bio-stimulant recommended for coating of straight urea and that has extended stability suitable for fertilizer supply logistics. This is a breakthrough for modern agriculture and leading fertilizer companies around the globe are now adopting our technology creating a new class of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer (EEF).So how does the BiOWiSH® Fertilizer Enhancement translate into improved agricultural sustainability?
Nutrient Use Efficiency and Increased Production Suggest Environmental Benefits
The HoloGene 3™ technology of BiOWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizer, in short, enables plants to access nutrient sources that they would not be able to utilize otherwise. This technology improves nutrient use efficiency and supports nutrient uptake, which can in turn mean that less nutrients are lost to to unproductive pathways. For example it is well known that denitrification results in a lower production of nitrous oxide — a greenhouse gas 273 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Furthermore, when soil nutrient conditions are optimized and yield is increased, there’s a higher rate of production per unit of land—a more efficient use of land for feeding a growing global population. BiOWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizer are proven to increase yield by an average of 7.7% when the enhanced fertilizer is added at the same rate as the standard program. In addition, optimizing fertilizer programs with the BiOWiSH® enhancement and applying 10% to 20% less nitrogen can be a sustainable farming practice that gives farmers flexibility to balance input cost with a return in productivity.
For more details on how the BiOWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizer is a Climate-Smart practice, check out this brochure.
BiOWiSH Technologies supports more industries than just agriculture, but the way we see it— they’re all intertwined. To understand how BiOWiSH® industries and solutions fit together for a wholistic approach to sustainability, check out the blog The Sustainability Impact of BiOWiSH® Solutions.