The BiOWiSH Technologies vision has long been focused on helping improve agricultural sustainability. Through extensive R&D, the BiOWiSH team discovered how to leverage our HoloGene 3™ technology as a fertilizer enhancement which increases nutrient use efficiency and supports nutrient uptake. We are continuing to invest in ways to help our partners with ongoing university studies and leading fertilizer supplier trials designed to minimize the effects of nitrogen loss pathways.
The distinct BiOWiSH® formulation of high-performance microorganisms and innovative manufacturing processes produce a product that can be coated onto dry mineral fertilizers (or mixed with liquid fertilizers) while maintaining the stability of the microorganisms, the underlying fertilizer, and the shelf-life integrity requirements of the global fertilizer industry. But how does Bio-Enhanced Fertilizer Powered by BiOWiSH® translate into improving agricultural sustainability? Here are five ways:
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Nutrient Use Efficiency
The microbes of the BiOWiSH® Fertilizer Enhancement can act as a mode of transport for nutrients into the plant, as well as a catalyst for root exudate production that foster microbial establishment in the rhizosphere. These together enable the release of bound nutrients from the soil, thus improving the efficiency of the fertilizer application. We refer to this as the HoloGene 3TM technology which, 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 unproductive pathways. Moreover, with increasing input prices squeezing profit margins, farmers make more efficient use of their fertilizer input investments.
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Land Output
On average, BiOWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizers successfully optimize yield potential by improved nutrient uptake with a win-rate of 86.2% and average yield boost of 7.7%. This translates into more efficient land use, which means food can be produced with a lower emissions footprint as a result of improved nutrient uptake. This is critical, because agriculture will need to produce 60% more food by 2050 while simultaneously reducing emissions.
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Flexibility in Managing Fertility Programs
Optimizing yield potential by improved nutrient uptake using the BiOWiSH® technology gives growers the flexibility to balance fertilizer input costs with a return in productivity. Results from over 200 replicated, third party trials of BiOWiSH® show an average yield increase of 7.7% compared to a standard fertility program. N Optimized trials using 10% less fertilizer had an average yield increase of 4.5%, while crop yields were maintained with a 20% N Optimized program. With BiOWiSH®, farmers can choose the right fertility program based on their own success criteria. Selecting the right management practice for your operation can result in more sustainable farming and may lead to improved emission scoring. For more details on our N Optimization studies, refer to the performance summary charts of this brochure.
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Credible Environmental Stewardship
Farmers have long been considered “stewards of the land”. In the last decade or more, however, agriculture has been attracting increased scrutiny from consumers and stakeholders due to greenhouse gas emission concerns in general. With the help of BiOWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizer, our goal is to work with fertilizer companies and growers to improve their carbon footprint while enhancing our industry’s reputation and credibility as good stewards of the land.
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Profitability in Farming
Like every business, a farming operation requires profitability in order to sustain a viable future. BiOWiSH Technologies prides itself on keeping that top of mind with our unique go-to-market approach. Not only does the BiOWiSH® Fertilizer Enhancement provide the benefits above, but it’s available at an input cost that makes sense to farmers. See the profitability example below from the ADM trials. Furthermore, with our partner sustainability programs, we are helping growers access additional revenue streams. If “no farms = no food”, the opposite “farms = food” is also true. In order to protect our collective food security, we have to protect the financial viability of family farms around the globe, by providing practical and sensible input options.
Profitability Example from U.S. ADM Trial Summary
The average yield increase realized from the ADM on-farm corn trials using BiOWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizer led to an average profit increase of $58 per acre over a standard fertility program. This equals $116,000 for a 2,000-acre farm based on 2022 crop and input cost values. Read the full report on the ADM trial summary.
For more details on how the BiOWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizer is helping to improve sustainability in agriculture with climate-smart practices, review BiOWiSH® Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer as a Climate-Smart Tool.