New, successful technologies that are developed for agriculture can produce three benefits.

• A more favorable environmental footprint


• Increased yield or quality of product with subsequent greater net returns


• A combination of the above two

Nitrogen fixation is a natural biological process where atmospheric nitrogen (N) is converted into a form of N that can be used by plants. However, this process is limited to legume species where N-fixing Rhizobia bacteria are used.

The majority of the world’s crop plants obtain the N needed for growth and development from the soil. However, the soil-N reservoir is not sufficient to supply the amount of N needed to produce an amount of crop that is above a subsistence level. Therefore, the N-need for the vast majority of crops is or should be supplemented with added N fertilizer. The economic and environmental ramifications of N fertilizer production and use have been well-documented.

Azotic Technologies Ltd. in Nottingham England is testing a new nitrogen-fixing technology that has the potential to provide the benefits in item three above to all crop plants. The technology, termed N-Fix®, was invented by Ted Cocking, a plant cell scientist and emeritus professor at the University of Nottingham. It is based on a food grade bacteria, Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, which is derived from sugar cane. N-Fix can be applied as an inoculant or as a seed coating.

Azotic purports that N-Fix, which is neither a genetically modified nor a bio-engineered organism, can result in the replacement of up to 50% of a plant’s nitrogen needs. It is applicable to all crops and can result in a significant reduction in the use of synthetic N fertilizers, which in turn will result in a significant cost savings to growers.

N-Fix has been tested on myriad crops, including corn, wheat, rice, oil-seed rape, potato, and tomato. If the planned independent research trials provide evidence that this new technology is in fact a viable input, then the production landscape for food crops grown across the globe will benefit, as will the global environment.

I will follow forthcoming developments about and results from research with this new product, and will keep Mississippi producers apprised of the outcomes.

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Apr. 2015, larryheatherly@bellsouth.net