Bio-N, an alternative fertilizer for crops from the UP Los Baños National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Biotech) recently received the 2007 Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award or the Gregorio Zara Medal during the National Science and Technology Week celebration.

Its developer, Dr. Mercedes U. Garcia received a medal, plaque, and P75,000 from the Department of Science and Technology and the National Academy of Science and Technology. The award is the most recent among the many awards that the fertilizer has won since Dr. Garcia formulated it in 1984.

Bio-N is a fertilizer that converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form available for use by host plants. The product can be used to substitute for half of the chemical fertilizers applied to agricultural crops such as rice, corn, and other high value crops. It makes plants more naturally resistant to disease, have wider leaves and sturdier stems, and yield more compared to plants on which inorganic fertilizer has been used.

Dr. Garcia now supervises the operation of 41 Bio-N manufacturing plants in 15 regions all over the country. Through the Bio-N joint venture project, she was able to help the university develop a viable commercialization model and generate millions in revenues annually since 2002.

Projected to number 61 before 2007 ends, the manufacturing plants are expected to produce around 3.5 million packs of Bio-N. This volume will cover around 700,000 hectares and save on the use of 2.5 million bags of chemical fertilizers.