Meristem announces two new tech-delivery systems designed to boost the performance of biologicals

Meristem announced the commercial launch of two patent-pending biological delivery systems – BIO-CAPSULE™ and MICROBILIZE™ – building on their effort to bring real productivity gains to farmers.  Both innovative technology systems result from work with leading industry partners and are designed to work seamlessly with farming operations to dramatically increase the performance of a broad range of biologicals.

″A very important piece of our mission at Meristem is opening up a faster pathway to more farmers for new innovative technology,″ said Mitch Eviston, Meristem Founder and CEO in unveiling the two new patent-pending systems. ″We’re out to clear any hurdle to using these new beneficial biologicals and with BIO-CAPSULE™ and MICROBILIZE™ we take two more giant steps. This is all about creating greater productivity for American farmers.″

The BIO-CAPSULE TECHNOLOGY™ Planter Box Delivery System, is a revolutionary packaging system designed to carry, protect, and dispense a multitude of biologicals into a seed lubricant blend plus micronutrients. It will be launched commercially in crop-year 2023 as part the REVLINE HOPPER THROTTLE™ product evolution.

″REVLINE HOPPER THROTTLE Corn, now powered by BIO-CAPSULE, is truly a game changer because the new technology allows for so many proven ingredients to work together effectively as a single product,″ said Joe Gednalske, Meristem Product Development Lead, who already holds 41 patents on crop inputs and application technology. For crop year 2023, said Gednalske, one of Bio-Capsules will be charged with Terrasym®, an industry leading proprietary bio-stimulant developed by NewLeaf Symbiotics that helps plants increase nutrient uptake to develop a massive root structure. Another BIO-CAPSULE will be charged with a microbial team proven to fix nitrogen and solubilize nutrients. In the base is an 80/20 talc blend with iron and manganese, plus 1.35 pounds of a specially-formulated zinc.

″The BIO-CAPSULE TECHNOLOGY enables these microbes to stay separated from talc and zinc to keep their full strength all the way to when they are deployed at planting,″ explains Gednalske. ″That means more vigor and vitality in the furrow.″

NewLeaf Technical Product Director, Dr. Allison Jack, says the BIO-CAPSULE system is key to what’s next because it delivers live microbes in powder formulation directly to the seed in a way that ensures they only become active during seed germination. ″The microbes are protected until they are ready to use. The BIO-CAPSULE will give us the opportunity to show what our new corn rootworm biological can do,″ she said. ″We’ve just gotten the green light from the EPA and are excited to work with Meristem on demonstrating its efficacy and its convenience, pending state approvals.″

MICROBILIZE™ Microbe Technology Delivery System, the second patent-pending product announced, covers a liquid formulation technology that enhances microbe health, increases vigor, and speeds reproduction at the target.  MICROBILIZE uses a surfactant system, fulvic acid and other ingredients to increase the shelf life and performance of microbes. The first commercial launch for MICROBILIZE is a new improvement of Meristem’s industry leading residue management and nutrient release product — EXCAVATOR™.   

″With MICROBILIZE, the surfactant package penetrates the cuticle for faster breakdown of the residue,″ said Gednalske. ″We’ve seen a dramatic increase in microbe survivability and productivity.″ Gednalske worked with researchers at DPH Biologicals™ and others to measure the impact of MICROBILIZE™. Meristem will license the technology to other providers of biologicals with the tagline ″Powered by MICROBILIZE Microbe Technology Delivery System.″ Meristem’s EXCAVATOR™ carries a unique collection of six different residue-eating microbes, reaching a total of 700 billion total colony-forming units (CFUs) per gallon.

″As biologicals become more mainstream, it is important for these products to consistently perform to earn grower trust,″ said Mick Messman, president and CEO of DPH Biologicals. He added that innovations like the MICROBILIZE™ delivery technology paired with DPH Bio’s unique biological platform play an important role in generating a new level of consistent performance that will drive rapid adoption. ″Trusted biologicals are proving their ROI (return on investment) and we have seen significant growth with our portfolio over the past year. We look forward to continued collaborations with Meristem to develop and introduce new innovative biological solutions.″   

John Gertz, Meristem’s COO, said combining EXCAVATOR™ and REVLINE HOPPER THROTTLE™ can truly be considered the starter system for the next generation. ″That’s why we focused on getting these new delivery systems right – to bring more real productivity to American farmers.″ He said BIO-CAPSULE is a step-change innovation enabling a bolt-on of new formulations without the expense of re-registration, which reduces waste. ″Simply put, we can help farmers add more bushels and keep more of what they earn from each one.″

″We serve farmers best when we can bring them innovation that helps them produce more output for every unit of input,″ summarizes Rob McClelland, Meristem President and CMO. ″But we must make it convenient for them at field-level. And that’s what these new delivery systems are about – safeguarding the product and making it easier for farmers to improve crop health, yields and ROI. We’re excited for the opportunity this brings our dealer-partners to be market leaders.″