Page 8 - Vol.40-No.2 issue

SOIL NUTRITION

urea, the world’s most-used fertilizer. Add- number of different products on our farm re:generations program]. Being able to help
ing BiOWiSH® directly to fertilizer creates a and have found that bio-enhanced urea the environment, while at the same time,
new class of Bio-Enhanced Efficiency Fer- from BiOWiSH has resulted in a significant boosting the profitability of our crop is a
tilizer (EEF) and makes it an easy fertility increase in root development,” said Jerry. win-win,” added Barnes.
program modification for farmers looking In addition to optimizing yield potential, “While we pride ourselves on our agro-
to benefit from improved nutrient use the BiOWiSH® technology is being adopted nomic-first approach of providing solutions
efficiency and optimized yield potential. by leading fertilizer companies worldwide that offer easy-to-implement benefits for
Jerry and Terry Barnes of Triple B Farms as part of their Scope 3 emissions targets the soil and for the grower to achieve high-
Inc. are corn and soybean farmers from and initiatives. er production,” says Rod Vautier, President
Columbia, MO, and had the following to “I was also pleased to learn that by simply of BiOWiSH, “those benefits also happen
say regarding their experience using Bi- using the product, we qualify for additional to provide a means to improve upon sus-
OWiSH® Enhanced Fertilizer. “We test a climate money for our farm [through ADM’s tainability measures.”
Circle 6 on enquiry card
TRIANUM REMARKABLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST

SOIL-BORNE DISEASES IN ACIDIC SOILS

Much is known about the protective borne diseases in a number of ways. In methodologically challenging as soil has a
properties of Trianum against soil-borne the soil, Trianum actively competes with natural tendency to restore its pH balance,
pathogens, nevertheless this biofungi- and outcompetes harmful pathogens for but the researchers actively monitored the
cide continues to exceed expectations. food and space. As it grows, it creates a acidity of the soil and kept pH at the target
Research shows that Trianum is remark- barrier around the roots of the plant, a levels. At a pH of approximately 5.7, which
ably tolerant of acidic soils and remains natural shield against soil-borne diseases. qualifies as acidic but is also relatively com-
effective even at an extremely acidic It also actively attacks fungal pathogens by mon, and at a pH of 3.7, Trianum proved
pH of 3.7. The tolerance of Trianum breaking down and ‘feeding’ on their cell effective at reducing seedling loss. Sur-
to abiotic stresses like acidity is good walls. Finally, Trianum’s positive effect on prisingly, the biggest difference between
news in a world where harsh growing water and nutrient uptake promotes plant the experimental group and control group
conditions are becoming increasingly growth and uniformity, keeping the plant was observed at the lowest pH. “In this
common. healthy and strong. highly acidic environment, Trianum proved
to be both stable and effective at con-
Highly resilient trolling the soil-borne disease Pythium in
The potential for Trianum to contribute to cucumber,” explains Roxina Soler, Manager
sustainable agriculture and to improve crop Agronomical Development at Koppert. “As
health, resilience and yield is enormous. soil pH will rarely exceed this low level, the
That potential challenges us to understand results indicate that Trianum is remarkably
Trianum even better. Generally speaking, tolerant of acidity. It is a result that should
Trichoderma harzianum is known to be give growers confidence in their ability to
an adaptable and resilient fungus. But for control soil diseases and support the health
growers, it is essential to know exactly how and quality of their crops even if conditions
Trianum is a brilliant example of finding suitable Trianum is for use in a broad range are harsh.”
solutions in nature; of utilising the benefi- of environmental conditions. Our extensive Powerful & versatile biocontrol agent
cial properties of micro-organisms, natural research confirms that Trianum is highly
enemies and beneficial insects to control resilient and tolerant of abiotic stresses, At present, Trianum is registered for the
pests and diseases. In the case of Tria- including soil acidity. control of soil-borne diseases and available
num, that requires a deep understanding of in two formulations: Trianum-P, granules
Trichoderma harzianum T22 as a product, Acidity tolerant that are mixed with water, and Trianum-G,
how it interacts with fungal pathogens in The pH of the soil matters greatly when granules that are mixed with substrate and
the soil, how it protects roots and pro- it comes to plant development and the can be applied using standard machinery,
motes crop health and development, and effective use of biocontrol products. That is which is particularly important for the use
how it responds to different conditions. because abnormal pH levels, often the re- of Trianum in row crops.
Years of laboratory research and field sult of abiotic stresses like intensive rainfall “The more we study Trichoderma har-
testing has resulted in a product that is and the overuse of certain fertilizers, can zianum, the more we discover about its
now used effectively around the world to lead to toxicity. The pH levels in soil vary potential,” explains Francisco Marin An-
control soil-borne diseases scaused by the around the world, ranging from alkaline all dres, researcher in the Agronomical De-
pathogens Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium the way to highly acidic. That is especially velopment department at Koppert Spain.
and Sclerotinia. Now, we are continuing to the case for South America, the Southeast- “Recently, we proved that Trianum is able
expand our understanding of this versatile ern United States and Southeast Asia, all to establish itself and grow in five differ-
fungus to help growers produce crops more major agricultural areas where pH levels ent types of substrate used in greenhouse
sustainably. between 3.5 and 4.5 are very common. cultivation, including substrates in which
Growers there need to trust that their crop some biocontrol products cannot establish
Modes of action protection methods are effective in these itself or grow. The potential of Trianum to
Growers have been using Trianum for challenging conditions as well. grow not only in diverse soils but also in
years in the cultivation of vegetables, soft The Agronomical Development de- very artificial and nutrient-depleted sub-
fruits and ornamentals, as well as in open partment at Koppert studied the efficacy strates presents opportunities for a much
field crops like onion, carrot and potato. of Trianum in acidic soils. The study was larger group of growers.”
Trianum can prevent and control soil-
6 Vol. 40 No. 2 Circle 7 on enquiry card