Collaborative Research Project using state-of-the-art Mass Spectrometry leads to Sustainable Agriculture Breakthrough

Demonstrating the power of collaboration between researchers, academics, and the business sector, a new range of biological nutrient solutions for the agricultural sector has hit the Canadian market.

The collaboration between the NutriAg Group and the Emery Lab at Trent University has resulted in the creation of M-BOS™, a solution that answers the call for efficient and sustainable plant nutrient solutions.

Dr. Neil Emery is one of the world’s leading experts in the study of plant hormones.

Prof. Emery and his team conducted most of their research using the state-of-the-art mass spectrometry equipment housed in Trent’s Water Quality Centre – here they used one of the Centre’s cutting-edge organic mass spectrometers that has the ability to identify molecular formulas of these complex compounds through very precise measurements.

“We need the type of precision because there are so many chemicals in a plant,” Prof. Emery explains. “This instrument can sort through all of that to look for key performance compounds that you didn’t even know existed. It was instrumental to characterizing the biofertilizer.”

For more information, see Biology Professor Discovers Crop-Boosting Bacteria – News – Trent University

“Biofertilizers are becoming essential for change and M-BOS™ is ready to meet that challenge,” NutriAg president, Martin Bloomberg, told us.

According to Martin Yuill, executive director of the Trent University-affiliated clean technology research park, Cleantech Commons, “The development of M-BOS is a perfect example of how collaborative research can lead to new product breakthroughs in key sectors of the economy.”

“Unlike stand-alone sites or industrial parks,” Yuill says, “as a university-linked research park Cleantech Commons provides tenants with access to a wide range of value-adding services and supports.”

“These supports are intentionally designed to drive innovation and the commercialization of clean, green, and sustainable technologies through collaboration between both startup and established businesses and the academic, research, and student communities,” he tells us.

The value-added services Yuill cites include cutting-edge resources, research labs and facilities, testing and analytical facilities, academic expertise, business coaching, mentorship, expertise, and networks, collaborative research opportunities, social and recreational amenities, as well as access to a trained workforce, student placements, and experiential learning opportunities.

“M-BOS is a revolutionary product unlike anything currently on the market,” Dr. Kelly Tanaka, Chief Scientific Officer at NutriAg, says.

M-BOS™ was developed by combining NutriAg’s proprietary formulation technology with a specialized plant growth-promoting bacterium, Methylobacterium organophilum. This bacterium was first isolated from the petiole of Pelargonium zonale.

The specialized bacteria, once applied, produce several metabolites that impact leaf senescence, nutrient mobilization, and cell division, and assist the plant defences against abiotic stress. This also assists the plant in building natural cytokinins to promote growth.

Applied as a seed treatment, in furrow or foliar spray, M-BOS™ has shown to increase tolerance to abiotic stress and accelerate growth rates that ultimately result in greater marketable yield.

M-BOS™ is registered on a variety of crops and is immediately available for sale in Canada.

About NutriAg

For almost 60 years, NutriAg has been helping distributors, dealers, and crop advisors better understand crop nutrition to help farmers improve profitability, quality, and yield. NutriAg believes that the combination of education and knowledge sharing, along with our scientifically enhanced nutrient solutions takes the guesswork out of decision-making and enables growers to attain higher and more consistent yields. See https://www.nutriag.com/