BioConsortia, Inc. has moved two new nematicides into its development and registration phase following excellent field trial results in corn and other important food crops. The new products control nematode pests and increase crop yields.

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BioConsortia's team studies the positive impact of their new nematicide on protecting tomato roots from nematode damage. Fidele Akum PhD (right) and Dan Touchard BA (left), with Debbie Wilk PhD - Director of Plant Pathology and leader of the Namaticide project. (Photo: Business Wire)

Plant parasitic nematodes are tiny, ubiquitous roundworms that feed from plants. They directly target roots of major production crops and prevent water and nutrient uptake resulting in reduced crop performance. Nematodes cause 7–15% yield losses to agricultural crops; an estimated $157 billion dollars worldwide.

Nematodes are particularly difficult to control. As such, the announcement that BioConsortia has discovered two highly effective and naturally occurring nematicides will be most welcomed by growers and environmentalists alike.

In 2021 field trials, these new nematicides controlled a range of nematodes at 14 different locations, covering Root Knot, Stubby-Root, Stunt, and Root-Lesion nematodes, and increased yields by 5-8 bushels per acre in corn and 15.8% in wheat, with a 100% win rate. These two new products performed better than the current commercial biological, and better or similar to chemical standards.

The efficacy of these new nematicides has been highly consistent throughout their development from laboratory, greenhouse, and field trials in controlling nematodes and protecting plant roots from damage. In addition to its strong nematicidal action, one of the new products has also demonstrated the control of insect pests in greenhouse conditions. Further development of the insecticidal attributes is proceeding.

Dr. Hong Zhu, BioConsortia Head of R&D declared, “These are the best microbial nematicides we have seen for both efficacy and consistency on row crops. They are moving smoothly and rapidly through our development pipeline with fermentation and formulation optimization underway and scale up planned.”

BioConsortia CEO Marcus Meadows-Smith added, “We are excited to add these two new nematicides to our pipeline of superior biological products. We believe growers will be impressed with the improved level of efficacy, and the environment will benefit from the sustainable nature of our products.”

About BioConsortia

Utilizing our patented Advanced Microbial Selection (AMS) process, BioConsortia develops microbes that have exceptional partnerships with plants, resulting in high-performance products for substantially larger and healthier crop yields and a significantly improved environmental profile for growers.

Drought, desertification, degradation and development are stressing the planet’s arable land. BioConsortia's plant health portfolio includes biologicals that protect crops against pests and diseases at all points of the food distribution chain (biofungicides, bionematicides, and post-harvest disease control), as well as biostimulants that increase crop yields.

To reduce the amount of synthetic fertilizers and farm runoff while increasing crop yields, BioConsortia leverages the power of cutting-edge technologies to create customized biological solutions using nitrogen fixing microbes in non-legume row crops, such as corn and wheat, as well as fruits and vegetables.

For more information, or to enquire about partnership opportunities, please contact info@bioconsortia.com.

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