The potato industry is at an all-time high for innovation. Incredible new technologies and products are being launched across the potato value chain.
That’s great news for the potato industry, but it’s also huge for all of society. That’s because the potato industry is front and center on tackling the biggest challenges our world faces, from food security to how we responsibly use our land, water and air resources.
We put a call out requesting nominations for the most innovative products leading the Canadian potato industry into the future. Our team received multiple excellent nominations from across the potato industry. With help from our Editorial Board, we selected the winning nominations based on their impact to the industry, their market potential and their scalability.
Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting the individual innovations. They will be released alphabetically.
AL-Bio 7
A&L Biological Inc. – subsidiary of A&L Canada Laboratories Inc.
www.albiological.com
Launches in Canada: Spring 2024
Plants send signalling compounds to the bacteria in the rhizosphere to help them with many functions such as nutrient solubilization and the production of antibiotics. The rhizosphere in high-producing plants is different from low producers. AL-Bio 7 is a patent-pending bio fertilizer/nutrient enhancer technology that consists of bacteria strategically isolated from high-producing plants.
The active ingredient in AL-Bio 7 is pseudomonas azotoformans strain 336: one of the top growth-promoting bacteria from the library A&L collected of over 4000 bacterial isolates.
Once applied, the product colonizes the root system of the crop and living in a mutually beneficial relationship with the plant. During the life of the crop, the bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen; solubilize phosphorous, zinc, and iron; and produce antibiotics to fight against disease.
“AL-Bio 7 is a new bio fertilizer that increases crop yields through improved soil health. Plants work in harmony with endophytic bacteria to accomplish physiological functions such as nutrient solubilization, and the mitigation of abiotic stress. The increase in crop yield is a cumulative effect of all the functional traits of our bacteria. AL-Bio 7 is a sustainable approach to nutrition that will reduce the use of synthetic fertilizer inputs moving forward,” says Rob Field, A&L Biological’s VP of business development and marketing.
According to Field, the product delivers 200 per cent ROI for the grower. He adds that the potential to produce more marketable potatoes at a lower cost may ultimately deliver an additional benefit of lower pricing for the consumer. Field says that, based on market research, AL-Bio 7 sales have been projected to reach $10 million by 2026.
