The Power of Azotobacter Salinestris: Unpacking VIXERAN®’s Unique Capabilities

VIXERAN^® is a biofertiliser with bacteria-based technology that enables crops to fix nitrogen directly from the atmosphere. While this may sound like science fiction, this product’s power and capabilities are very real. In this article, Syngenta Field Technical Manager for biologicals Andy Cunningham unpacks the science behind it, how it differs from the competition, and the benefits of using it for growers.

The science behind VIXERAN^®

The active bacteria in VIXERAN ^®, Azotobacter Salinestris, creates a symbiotic relationship within the plant where the bacteria gets sugars from the plant and the plant gets nitrogen in return. This is a win-win for both the plant and the bacteria. The plant is able to get the nitrogen it needs thanks to an enzyme within the bacteria called nitrogenase. While plants can’t use atmospheric nitrogen (dinitrogen), the enzyme ‘fixes’ hydrogen molecules to the nitrogen molecules to break it down into ammonia, a form they can use.

What makes VIXERAN^® unique?

There are several important things that make VIXERAN ^® unique.

The first is that Azotobacter Salinestris is a free-living bacteria as opposed to a true endophyte.

This matters because there are commercially available products which contain true endophytes, and the issue with these bacteria is they will only survive within the plant itself and not the soil.

That’s a problem if there’s a situation where the bacteria can’t get into the foliage via the stomata. If that entry point is closed, they don’t have the ability to work within the soil, get to the root system, and colonise the plant.

Within VIXERAN ^®, there’s the free-living bacteria that can survive and live in the soil as well as colonising the plant, so you have the best of both worlds.

Another quality this powerful bacteria has is the ability to create a cyst in unfavourable conditions.

This is a protective mechanism whereby a bacteria goes into a resting or dormant stage to help it survive. For instance, if the temperatures are below 0°C, Azotobacter Salinestris won’t be actively growing in such conditions, but because of its ability to form a cyst, the cold temperatures won’t kill it. Bacteria that don’t have this ability will be killed and won’t reactivate when conditions improve.

The third unique thing about VIXERAN^® is the ability to create a biofilm around the root system.

A biofilm is a buildup of bacteria on the outside of a plant which acts like a shield, protecting the root system from potential pathogens in the soil. So not only is the plant colonised from within, but the outside is also colonised, and the plant is protected in the longer term.

The benefits of VIXERAN^® for growers

“I always say to growers that the main benefit you get from this product is that it can help with your nitrogen inputs within any crop. This biological product can be used within conventional farming but also for use in organic farming, as the product has organic certification”, Andy explains.

VIXERAN ^® can complement your nitrogen regime so you can improve your yield or if you want to cut back on nitrogen for cost and environmental reasons, VIXERAN ^® can compensate. Either way, you can significantly improve yield and quality when you use it appropriately.

Watch the video below to see how VIXERAN^® works