Biosphera launches Nitrosphera bioinoculants

Brazilian company Biosphera has launched two biological inoculants: Nitrosphera Fusion (available in liquid form) and Nitrosphera Elkanii Turfa. Both products comprise microorganisms from the genus Bradyrhizobium and were introduced during the 39th Soybean Research Meeting (RPS), which received special coverage by AgroPages.

André Nakatani, Manager of Research, Development, and Innovation at Biosphera, highlighted the fact that the company's Strategic BioManagement (BME) program developed these products. The BME involved medium- and long-term monitoring of each client to identify the specific needs of each soil and crop.

"Within the concept of Strategic BioManagement, we understand that it can be advantageous to alternate between different species of Bradyrhizobium to promote microbial diversity in the soil," Nakatani explained.

He further elaborated that although B. japonicum is more widely used in soybean cultivation, B. elkanii is also an effective alternative for inoculation. It plays a vital role under certain environmental and management conditions, contributing to the development and productivity of soybean crops.

"In recent studies, we re-evaluated authorized strains in isolation or in combination in different locations, where the importance of B. elkanii strains used alone or in association with B. japonicum became evident," Nakatani explained. Based on these results, the new product Nitrosphera Fusion was developed, containing B. elkanii SEMIA 5019 and B. japonicum SEMIA 5079.

"The interaction between soybean genotypes adapted to different environments and effective rhizobia strains in Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) can result in diverse responses. B. elkanii demonstrated high tolerance to environmental stresses such as high temperatures and flooding," Nakatani said. According to him, this can be beneficial in regions where these conditions are frequent during soybean development.

"In stressful situations, hormonal changes may occur, such as increased endogenous ethylene production, which hinders nodulation. This damage can be mitigated by Bradyrhizobium elkanii, which has a mechanism to limit ethylene production, not identified in other rhizobia species," he added.

The company also told AgroPages that it planned to double its production capacity next year and build a second industrial unit to meet increased demand.

Commercial Director Cesar Kersting stated that the company focuses on grains, especially soybeans, corn, and cereals, but it is starting to work with coffee, sugarcane, and cotton. Therefore, he said, Biosphera Agro Solutions is betting on developing local solutions for tropical agriculture, investing in research and innovation in partnership with universities and renowned institutions.

The company has more than 40 bio-solutions registered with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)