Commercialization and application of microbiological containing products has recently seen renewed interest in agriculture as a way to more sustainably grow crops. Production and formulation of microbes has unique challenges compared with agrochemicals. Maintaining viability of the microbes in a stable form on the shelf through application has been the primary concern. Certain microbes, such as Bacillus species, can be induced to form spores and used with little further processing. For non-spore forming species a common strategy is to dry the material postproduction to afford a stable product. NewLeaf Symbiotics has developed these methods for production of Methylobacteria and Methylorubrum, which are Gram negative and non-spore forming bacteria, into shelf stable powders of high titer. There are, however, drawbacks to solid formulations for ease of use by the grower. For example, in the case of in furrow applications the powder needs to be incorporated into a liquid fertilizer carrier before use. This can be difficult given the available water in the carrier and can lead to agglomeration which can clog sprayer lines. To improve ease and use and handling by the grower, NewLeaf Symbiotics has developed liquid flowable formulations for plant beneficial microbial products. This talk will detail the development of these formulations with a focus on oil dispersion (OD) types. The development of OD formulations for agrochemical products has also seen renewed interest with known difficulties due to the inherent complexity of the formulation and availability of suitable materials. Addition of a microbial AI adds layers of difficulty given biological compatibility with common co-formulants. The steps taken to make a shelf stable product with good physical, chemical and biological properties as well as the evaluation of these formulations for shelf, tank and on seed stability will be discussed.

Liquid flowable formulations of plant beneficial microbes

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