Patent Forecast® has been used to highlight the opportunities within microbial methods for hydroponic pest management, and now will bring light to similar technologies in plant fertilizer and nutrition left wide open for the taking.
When compared to traditional chemical and organic fertilizers, the use of microbial additives isn’t as common of a practice for enhancing the health of plants. Just look at the number of filings in microbial additives - less than one third of the number of filings for traditional plant fertilizers. Microbes often rely on certain properties in soil to thrive, which can be more difficult to replicate in hydroponic systems. Still, some have found ways to do it.
The most prevalent assignee in the Microbial Additives space, with 5 total patents, is Biodiscovery New Zealand. BioDiscovery New Zealand was founded in 1994 and established parent company BioConsortia in 2014. [I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A SUBSIDIARY CAN ESTABLISH A PARENT] BioConsortia has raised over $50 million and has established global headquarters in California. As of 2020, BioConsortia’s products are still in development and registration. The company announced a partnership with Mosaic in December 2020 to work on microbial nitrogen-fixing technologies, which are essential for plant growth. Patent filings for hydroponics fertilizers have slowed compared to other technologies in the space, so there is an opportunity for BioConsortia to take control. However, if it fails to secure patent assets, then a third party could seize the opportunity.
Use the Hydroponics Patent Forecast® and included Radian to quickly spot trends like this. Start your trial today!
