About Us
Who is Bontera®?
At Bontera®, we care deeply about helping growers produce the crops needed to feed the world’s ever-increasing population and about protecting our natural resources. These two strands are woven together in our commitment to developing safe, effective solutions for sustainable agriculture.
Our mission is to transform agriculture on a global scale through scientific knowledge and innovation. We focus on delivering unique, natural products that improve crop yield and quality while protecting our soil and water from the harmful effects of traditional chemical-based agriculture. Our vision is to eliminate the need for harmful chemicals, reduce water consumption, to improve soil fertility, and ultimately the quality of our food supply.
Our state-of-the-art products are based on naturally occurring soil microbes selected for their superior performance and functionality. These specialized microbes are the catalysts for achieving optimal soil fertility and increased crop yields.
We are passionate about protecting our environment, and our products are 100 percent organically derived – free of GMOs and the chemicals that threaten the quality of our soil, water and food.
What is Microbial Plant Growth Enhancement?
Microbial plant growth enhancement refers to the process of utilizing beneficial microorganisms to promote the growth and development of plants. These microbes interact with plant roots, or the surrounding soil, and form symbiotic relationships. They provide several benefits to plants, including improved nutrient availability, enhanced disease resistance, and increased stress tolerance.
The microorganisms can enhance nutrient uptake by solubilizing minerals and fixing atmospheric nitrogen, making them more accessible to plants. They also produce growth-promoting substances like phytohormones and enzymes that stimulate plant growth and root development.
Additionally, beneficial microbes can protect plants from harmful pathogens by competing for resources or producing antimicrobial compounds. They can also induce systemic resistance in plants, making them more resistant to diseases and pests. Furthermore, these microorganisms can help plants tolerate environmental stresses, such as drought, salinity, or extreme temperatures, by improving water and nutrient retention abilities.
Overall, microbial plant growth enhancement harnesses the power of beneficial microbes to optimize plant health, increase crop yields, and reduce the reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
How Bontera® works to increase yield, quality and profitability
In their natural, unmanaged environments, all plants are supported by a vast, invisible world of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in and around their roots, stems, leaves, seeds, pollen, fruits, and flowers. Additional complex communities of microbes live in and on the insects, birds, invertebrates, and other animals that interact with plants and with each other.
Bontera® optimizes the microbial communities of plants offers an entirely new approach to enhancing productivity.
Bontera®’s microbes perform many complex functions in improving plant health and soil productivity, but to sum it up simply, it’s their production of bioactive compounds that drive Bontera®’s key benefits.
Increased nutrient bioavailability
Phosphate, potassium, and other nutrients in the soil are often in forms that roots can’t absorb. When added to the soil, Bontera®’s microbes solubilize these nutrients, converting them into readily absorbable forms. Nitrogen-fixing microbes similarly convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms that plants can use. When applied to leaves, the micronutrients and beneficial organic acids in Bontera penetrate pores on the leaves, making nutrients directly available to the plants.
Robust root development
Specialized microbes promote root hair development, greater root mass, and deeper root proliferation. This increases access to nutrients and moisture throughout the soil, yielding more vigorous crops.
Soil organic matter (SOM)
A vital storehouse of nutrients and moisture, SOM increases soil’s water-retention capacity and reduces nutrient leaching. Bontera®’s microbes help breakdown SOM efficiently and allows plants to uptake the nutrients more readily.
FAQs
How can Bontera be applied?
With proper agitation, all of the products can be applied using any type of irrigation or spray equipment. Concentration, application rates, and number of applications per year may vary by type of crop.
Is Bontera a Fertiliser or a Pesticide?
There is a lot of conflicting information out there about these types of products, and many different explanations for what they do. The Bontera® products aren’t pesticides (plant protection products), but they also aren’t fertilizer (plant nutrition) products. Rather, the Bontera® range of products uniquely facilitate the uptake of existing and applied nutrients, enhances plant health, and increases plant’s resistance to stresses. Bontera® products do not protect the crop directly by killing pests and diseases, like pesticides do, but rather indirectly by strengthening the plant and enhancing natural processes.
On which crops can it be used?
Bontera® products can be used on any crop. Please contact us from crop specific application guidelines.
What are Bontera’s agricultural benefits?
Bontera® products help to improve soil fertility, crop quality and yield. Our products increase nutrient availability leading to increased plant health and robust root development.
Are there any restrictions on the use of Bontera® products?
There are no minimum restrictions on the amount of water required per hectare. There are also no grazing restrictions or waiting periods after application. Bontera® products are 100% organically derived. They contain no synthetic chemicals or genetically modified organisms and are completely compatible with all sustainable and organic growing practices.
How should Bontera Products be stored?
Most of the Bontera range can be stored for up to two years at temperatures between 5°C and 30°C. Protect it from freezing, as freezing will diminish the product’s performance. Before using the products always check the expiry dates printed on the packaging.