Azo smart, an ally in maize cultivation
MAIZE PRODUCTION IN ITALY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
After two particularly difficult seasons, the 2025 maize-growing campaign showed timid signs of recovery, with last year recording a slight increase in yields and cultivated areas. Despite this, the sector continues to display structural weaknesses, mainly linked to growing climate instability and production costs.
In recent years, maize cultivation has in fact been heavily affected by extreme weather patterns: springs marked by temperature fluctuations and delays in vegetative growth, followed by increasingly hot and dry summers. The irregular distribution of rainfall compromises nutrient availability in the soil: mineral fertilizers are less soluble and therefore less available for uptake, resulting in reduced nutritional efficiency and a higher risk of salinization.
Adding to this scenario, already characterized by climate change-related challenges, is the international geopolitical context: the sharp rise in raw material costs and fertilizer prices, particularly nitrogen-based fertilizers, is having a major impact on production costs and is putting pressure on the profitability of maize farms.
NITROGEN NUTRITION
In this context, interest is growing in alternative strategies to traditional nitrogen fertilization, capable of combining economic and environmental sustainability. Nitrogen remains a key element for maize productivity, but its use is coming under increasing scrutiny because of greenhouse gas emissions and restrictive regulations.
In this scenario, adopting agronomic and nutritional techniques capable of increasing crop resilience and optimizing resource-use efficiency is becoming increasingly strategic.
THE AGRIGES PROPOSAL
In response to the critical issues described, Agriges presents the product Azo Smart, a valuable 'ally' for maize cultivation.
Azo Smart is a microbial formulation based on a consortium of microorganisms isolated and registered by Agriges.
The microorganisms in Azo Smart:
- are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it available to plants and thus reducing the amount of nitrogen to be given to the soil;
- have a direct biostimulant action on the plant, also giving it greater resistance to abiotic stress.
- increase the plant's uptake of water and nutrients and give it greater resistance to exogenous stresses.
Click here to download the Azo Smart brochure in PDF format.
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