Key Points:

• The crop biologicals category is growing explosively
  
• Biologicals hold great promise to help unlock untapped genetic potential.
•  Below is a sampling of the most promising biological products available from your FS Company.
  
• Our preferred biologicals are a great opportunity for MiField trials this season.

What are ‘biologicals’? The crop biologicals category has seen explosive growth in the last several years and sales are expected to top $3 billion per year by 2020. Biologicals are increasingly popular with farmers who are trying to find the next incremental gain in yield and profitability in high management cropping systems. Modern crop varieties contain tremendous untapped genetic potential, and the biological products attempt to optimize the biological system and unlock more of that potential.

Biologicals are a diverse class of products, with active ingredients that include living microbes, plant extracts, fermentation products, phytohormones, and even hard chemistry. Biologicals could be more accurately described as ‘crop bio-enhancement’ tools, because they all strive to stimulate the biology of the plant in ways that promote plant health and yield. The reported benefits of biologicals are as diverse as the active ingredients and depend on the nature of the product and timing of application. Benefits include increased nutrient availability in the rhizosphere, enhanced root and shoot growth, increased nutrient uptake, protection from pathogens, better nutrient utilization efficiency, improved reproductive efficiency, and more durable stress tolerance. Biologicals position the plant to capture the most yield potential. Whether these benefits translate directly to yield in any given year will depend on local factors – like crop rotation, soil environment, and growing season.

How are biologicals best deployed? Biologicals are most cost-effectively deployed as a tank-mix supplement to improve the performance of another primary product trip across the field. These primary trips are timed with critical management opportunities in the growth and development cycle of the crop. Fertilizer application, seedbed preparation, seed treatment, in-furrow and starter nutrients, side-dress nutrients, pre herbicides, post herbicides, and fungicides are some of the key primary trips where a biological may be a good fit. Seed treatment is a very common mode of delivery of biological products, because the product is in close proximity to the crop root system from day one. We have addressed biological seed treatments in other articles, so here we will focus on some other promising downstream products.

In-Furrow and Starter in Corn. Our primary goal here is to apply essential nutrients in close proximity to the seed to drive even emergence and early season growth, particularly in cool and wet soil where nutrients may be temporarily limiting. We want a healthy root system that can utilize these nutrients efficiently, and we may also want to protect the seedling against insects and pathogens.

• RhyzoLink LF (Nachur’s) is a blend of 5 different strains of beneficial Bacillus microbes that can be readily added to starter or in-furrow fertilizer applications. These plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) colonize the rhizosphere and produce metabolites that stimulate root growth, improve nutrient uptake, and deter fungal pathogens.
  
• Ethos XB (FMC) is combination of bifenthrin and a group 44 bio-fungicide Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747. The bifenthrin provides broad control of secondary soil insects and corn rootworm (at high rates). The microbial component colonizes the root system, forming a protective barrier and producing lipopeptides to fend off fungal pathogens fusarium, pythium, and rhizoctonia. The bacterium provides extended protection and builds over time as the spores germinate.

Pre- and Post-Herbicide Applications in Corn and Beans. Our goal here is to achieve acceptable weed control with minimal crop injury. A biological added to these passes has potential to stimulate beneficial soil microbes and help the crop manage herbicide-related metabolic stress. The products below are designed to be applied as a sequential two-pass PRE and POST program, not standalone. (Please note that these products are NOT approved for use with dicamba.)

• Ignite S2 (AgriGro) is a fermentation product in a nutrient carrier with a complex mixture of amino acids, enzymes, complex carbohydrates, and nutritional supplements that have been proven to stimulate existing beneficial microbial populations in the soil. Designed to added to the PRE herbicide application.
  
• Foliar Blend (AgriGro) is similar to Ignite S2 but includes specific organic acids to protect foliage from fungal infection. The product stimulates systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in the growing plant, bolstering the natural immune response to disease. This product is best applied in the POST herbicide application.

Fungicide Applications in Beans. The objective here is to protect the fully developed canopy from disease and optimize photosynthesis during pod fill. Insecticides may further protect the canopy against the soybean defoliation insect complex, if threshold-level defoliation is a threat. Biologicals applied late in season may be less effective than the benefits derived from early application, but the exception would be products that specifically promote reproductive efficiency.

• Fortalis (Plant Impact) is 1,3-diphenyl urea in a foliar micro-nutrient carrier. The active ingredient improves calcium mobility in the plant and helps preserve flowers and pods further from the stem, increasing 1- and 2-bean pods and improving yields by 2-3 bushels per acre. The product seems to improve consistency of fungicide response as well, resulting in more positive return on investment.