Sound Agriculture is Partnering with Syngenta to Reduce Nitrogen Use in China
SOURCE™ has the potential to decrease nitrogen fertilizer use without sacrificing yield
Dec 01, 2020, 12:00 ET
EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sound Agriculture and Syngenta have formed a strategic partnership to explore opportunities to decrease nitrogen fertilizer use in China by up to 30% while maintaining on-farm productivity. Sound Agriculture's flagship product SOURCE™ stimulates microbes in the soil to provide access to more nitrogen and phosphorus at the root zone, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer.
The collaboration has the potential of reducing nitrogen application by 7.5 million metric tons annually in China alone.1 This is the equivalent of removing 220 million tons of CO2,2 or 50 million cars from the road each year.3
The partnership brings together two leaders in sustainable agriculture to tackle one of the biggest challenges being faced by farmers. Nitrogen is the most essential nutrient for plant growth, yet the overuse of nitrogen fertilizers can have environmental consequences, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Plants frequently take in only 50-70% of applied nitrogen fertilizers. When nitrogen is not fully utilized by the growing plants, it can be lost from the fields and negatively impact air and downstream water quality. SOURCE gives growers the confidence to not over apply because they will be able to pull from the nutrients stored in the soil.4
"SOURCE enhances the natural systems that exist in the field, harnessing the innate ability of the plant and soil to perform better," said Adam Litle, CEO of Sound Agriculture. "We have seen great results in the U.S. and are thrilled to work with Syngenta to extend into China and make a significant impact on the health of our planet."
"Our partnership with Sound Agriculture provides an opportunity to collaborate and explore how we can provide growers with additional complementary choices of sustainable products and technologies to improve plant health," said Corey Huck, Global Head Biologicals, Syngenta. "This is in line with Syngenta's Good Growth Plan to accelerate innovation for more sustainable agriculture and to help farmers fight climate change."
SOURCE uses a proprietary technology to activate soil microbes and give plants access to more nitrogen and phosphorus. The product was launched commercially for the 2020 growing season after three years of successful field trials that showed a positive yield increase across the U.S. Syngenta will trial the product and, if the trials are successful, commercialize SOURCE in China. The product will initially be used on corn and wheat with future expansion to rice, potatoes, and potentially other crops.
Syngenta will be responsible for product formulation, field development, sales and marketing of SOURCE in China. Sound will manufacture SOURCE and collaborate on future product development for subsequent crops. If successful, the partnership has the potential to expand throughout Asia and beyond.
About Sound Agriculture
Sound Agriculture unlocks the natural power of plants to meet the demands for more diverse and nutritious food. Innovative, on-demand crop solutions allow agriculture to adapt faster to climate change and evolving consumer preferences, creating healthier food that is better for the planet. Products are designed to improve on-farm efficiency and create healthier, tastier, more sustainable food. Learn more at www.sound.ag and follow @sound_ag on Twitter.
1 https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2020/01/03/global-fertilizer-demand-bright
2 https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/EFDB/find_ef.php?ipcc_code=2.B.1&ipcc_level=2
3 https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
4 https://biolres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40659-020-00312-4
SOURCE Sound Agriculture
