Pune-based BioPrime AgriSolutions Pvt. Ltd. has developed technology that significantly improves crop nutrition by enhancing plants' nutrient uptake and promoting more efficient fertilizer use, according to co-founder and CEO Renuka Diwan. The company's initial studies demonstrated that reducing fertilizer inputs while maintaining or improving grain nutrient concentrations is feasible, addressing both agricultural productivity and public nutrition concerns.
Enhanced Nutrient Uptake
In a two-year study with successive fertilizer reduction of 25%, Diwan reported notable improvements in nutrient storage in grains. The key findings include:
| Nutrient | Improvement in Grain Storage |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen | 10% increase |
| Phosphorus | 6% increase |
| Potassium | 3% increase |
| Iron | 10% increase |
Beyond storage, the efficiency of nutrient uptake from the soil also improved substantially. With 25% less fertilizer applied, the uptake efficiency increased:
- Nitrogen efficiency improved by 26%
- Phosphorus efficiency improved by 46%
- Potassium efficiency improved by 37.7%
- Iron uptake increased by 68.8%
- Zinc uptake increased by 33.7%
Diwan noted that this helped address zinc deficiency across major Indian rice-growing belts due to soil conditions.
Addressing Long-Term Nutrient Decline
The company's work responds to a documented decline in the nutritional quality of fruits, vegetables, and staple crops over the past 50–70 years. According to Diwan, decades of historical data show median declines ranging from 5 to 40% or more across essential minerals, vitamins, and proteins. Specific declines include:
- Calcium dropped by 16%
- Iron dropped by 15%
- Phosphorus dropped by 9%
- Protein in wheat dropped by 23% between 1955 and 2016
"Decades of historical data analysis show median declines ranging from 5 to 40 per cent or more across essential minerals, vitamins, and proteins," said Diwan.
Technology and Intellectual Property
BioPrime has discovered several molecules that help unlock Nutritional Use Efficiency (NUE) bottlenecks, including availability, uptake, and use efficiency. The technology is supported by Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection, and the company has been working on NUE challenges for the past three years.
Diwan highlighted that fertilizer use efficiency in India is below 20%, compared to global averages of about 30%, signalling significant value to unlock. Typically, when nutrients are applied to crops, only 5–20% of phosphorus is used, while potassium and nitrogen are used more effectively at 40–50%.
Stress Management and Future Outlook
Stress can reduce NUE for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium by 10–30%, depending on severity, with extreme conditions causing larger reductions. Diwan emphasized that long-term stress management is essential to drive up NUE, which is extremely important from a food security and public nutrition standpoint.
BioPrime's multi-layered solution addresses availability through fertilizer augmentation technologies, while uptake and use efficiency improvements enhance the nutritional value of food. The company's findings offer a pathway to more sustainable agriculture with lower input costs and higher-quality produce.
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