BASEL, SWITZERLAND — Syngenta Crop Protection and Aphea.Bio are collaborating to bring a new wheat seed treatment technology to markets across Europe with the aim of helping farmers improve sustainability through better yields and reduced fertilizer use.

ACTIV by Aphea.Bio is a biostimulant applied as a seed treatment on wheat that is based on beneficial microorganisms. By improving the crop’s nutrient use efficiency, it enables as much as 5% higher yields, even while using less fertilizer, the companies said.

The collaboration plans to accelerate the introduction of ACTIV by Aphea.Bio across multiple countries in Europe over the next five years, pending regulatory approval. The companies said this will place the technology in the hands of farmers seeking to improve the sustainability of their farming operations. It also will address challenges arising from an increasingly constrained toolbox of available agricultural technologies and evolving consumer demands.

“We are excited to announce this collaboration with Aphea.Bio, which supports our important ambition of helping feed ever-growing populations in more sustainable ways,” said Jonathan Brown, head of Global Seedcare at Syngenta Crop Protection. “It demonstrates our commitment to bringing novel, nutrient use efficiency solutions to growers, helping safeguard yields if nitrogen inputs are reduced. Combined with our leading conventional seed treatment portfolio, ACTIV by Aphea.Bio will offer a unique value proposition in a fast-changing EU landscape.” 

The introduction of ACTIV by Aphea.Bio will represent an additional building block in the strategy to achieving healthy soils by supporting crops through beneficial microorganisms, the companies said. It also has the potential to contribute to the goal of the European Union’s Green Deal to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers inputs.