Enhance Cereal Crop Nutrition and Yield Potential with VIXERAN®
What is VIXERAN®?
VIXERAN® is a biofertiliser that offers a natural source of nitrogen to improve crop nutrition and yield potential in cereal crops. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria in VIXERAN® capture atmospheric nitrogen and transform it into a form readily accessible to your crops. This innovative solution provides an alternative and complementary solution to the nitrogen fertilisation crops program which helps reduce the overall carbon footprint of agricultural practices.
Key benefits of using VIXERAN® in cereals
Enhanced crop performance
VIXERAN® offers a natural source of nitrogen that bridges the gap between what the crop gets and what the crop needs, leading to enhanced crop development and ultimately higher yields.
Proven nitrogen fixation
Easy integration
VIXERAN® is used as a foliar that can easily be integrated into your cereal crop management practices, it is compatible with many crop protection products.
Why use VIXERAN® in cereal crops?
Nitrogen is crucial for cereal crop growth, but many crops struggle to access optimal levels due to factors like poor soil conditions, environmental stresses, improper fertiliser timing, or nutrient loss. VIXERAN® addresses these challenges by providing an efficient nitrogen source during peak demand stages, optimising nutrient use and improving overall nitrogen utilisation efficiency.
VIXERAN® naturally supplies your crop with nitrogen when needed, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. For example, winter wheat needs about 70% of its total nitrogen between growth stages GS21 to GS39. VIXERAN® ensures your crops have access to nitrogen when they need it most, supporting optimal yield and quality across various cereal crops. Overall, VIXERAN® helps your cereal crops to:
Helps crops access nitrogen more effectively, regardless of soil conditions.
Ensures crops get the nitrogen needed for optimal growth.
Application recommendations for cereals
In order to achieve the best results with VIXERAN® you want the product to be available when the crop requires nitrogen, which is typically in the early growing stages. To achieve high colonisation, the crop should be actively growing. Temperatures above 10°C create favourable conditions for the bacteria. The bacteria can protect itself against low temperatures but it is activated above 5°C. There are no restrictions to when and how many times you can apply the product.
Spray technology:
As the bacteria in VIXERAN® colonise both the leaves and the roots, you want both the crop and the soil to be covered at the time of application. Recommended water volume is 200 litres/ha with a medium droplet size. Dilute any tank mix partners with water first before adding the VIXERAN®.
Crop | Dose rate | Recommended timing of applications | Recommended water volume (lt/ha) |
Spring cereals – spring wheat and spring barley | 50g/ha | GS12-16 (two to six leaves unfolded) | 200-400 |
Winter cereals – winter wheat and winter barley | 50g/ha | GS25-30 (mid-tillering – start stem extension) | 200-400 |
How to optimise the application of VIXERAN® for cereals
VIXERAN® contains a living organism; therefore, this application advice is designed to support bacterial activity and a quick and effective colonisation.
The ability of VIXERAN® to fix 30 kg of nitrogen per hectare is demonstrated by 32 trials across Europe
The primary function of VIXERAN® is to address gaps where crops lack access to essential nitrogen. We measure nitrogen's impact by analysing yield at various levels of nitrogen reduction.
In these European trials, we compared the yield impact from nitrogen reduction with VIXERAN® (green line) against nitrogen reduction without VIXERAN® (blue line).
The results show that sites treated with VIXERAN® maintain higher yields when nitrogen is reduced. The gap between the green and blue lines represents VIXERAN®'s contribution to the crops, equivalent to approximately 30 kg N/ha.
These findings stem from 32 EU trials conducted in 2022. All sites in the graph were nitrogen-deficient, meaning that any reduction in nitrogen resulted in a corresponding decrease in yield.
This context underscores the significance of VIXERAN®'s nitrogen-fixing capabilities in maintaining crop productivity under challenging conditions.
Yield benefit in a reduced nitrogen scenario
To measure the effect of VIXERAN®, it can be tested in reduced nitrogen strategies.
In this trial, VIXERAN® was applied on the 8th of April in BBCH 30. The plots were treated with 160 kg/N which is 75% of the optimum for winter wheat.
Here, VIXERAN® treatment resulted in a yield benefit of 370 kg/ha, delivering a nice return on investment.
Variety: Graham. Drilling date: 2nd October 2023. Location: Durham
Q&A
It is best practice to premix wettable powders. Add 1 sachet of VIXERAN® to min. 1.25L of water. Warmer water (+ 5°C ) will make it solve quicker. VIXERAN® can be added directly to the induction hopper with the recommended volume of water if required.