AgroPages-Bayer CropScience offers inoculants for nitrogen fixation in Brazil‏-Agricultural news

Bayer CropScience has recently announced that it will bring the inoculant technology known as 'biological nitrogen fixation' to the seed treatment market of Brazil for soybean crops, which could facilitate the absorption of nitrogen from the air.

According to studies of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), it is estimated that every thousand kilos of soybeans need 80 kg of nitrogen, which can be provided by biological fixation. The institution's research indicates that, even in the areas cultivated for a long time, the re-inoculation process offers average increments of up to 8% in revenue. Reintroduces efficient bacteria along the seed each year would contribute to this process.

According to Siegfrid Baumann, SeedGrowth manager at Bayer CropSience, the application of inoculants either on seed or over the soil provides the conditions to penetrate on the roots of the soybeans and increases the level of nitrogen in the plant - in quantities of up to 300 kg nitrogen per hectare. The technology is simple and does not get lost in processes such as leaching, denitrification and volatilization.

"Bayer provides for the producer two technologies of inoculants. In partnership with Novozymes, we have developed the TSI inoculant with high number of bacterias and aimed exclusively for seed treatment. For the seed treatment on farm, the solutions are Biagro 10 and Biagro Líquido NG, which are part of our portfolio," said Baumann.

Both treatments have the same purpose: fix nitrogen, essential for plant growth. This type of treatment, in balance with other nutrients and micronutrients, will result in vigorous plants and higher quality grain, for the higher efficiency of nutrient absorption and utilization of the oil. In addition, the farmer can choose fertilizer formulations with nitrogen zero, optimizing investment in production and offering what the plant needs for its full development.

Felipe Seibt, a farmer from Patos de Minas, Minas Gerais, adopted the Bayer technologies during the 2014/2015 crop season. In his opinion, the adoption of the inoculant is extremely important due to the nitrogen added to the plant. "Even in areas with inoculation for several season, inoculation is [still] indispensable," said Seibt.