What does experience from the field suggest in terms of peptides, elicitors and other biosolutions, and their ability to improve plant health in the face of challenging growing conditions? CPM takes a look from an agronomist’s perspective.
“Observing consistent results in the field from best practice application is a must.” – NEIL HARPER
By Janine Adamson
The concept of a biosolution – the combination of biology and technology – is no longer a new notion, particularly in the world of sustainable crop production. Encapsulating a wide range of innovations from biostimulants and biofertilisers to biocontrol and pheromones, slowly but surely, more is being understood about how these products function.
As growers are now relatively accepting of what seaweed-based biostimulants can offer, focus is shifting to other modes of action and the role they can play in further boosting plant health, believes Agrii agronomist, Neil Harper.
But while scientific knowledge transfer catches up, this is where in-field experience comes to the fore, he says. “I think it’s safe to say growers are successfully getting their heads around seaweed biostimulants and standard amino acids, how they work and what they offer. However, they are merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of the vast range of innovations available.
“We’re seeing growing intrigue in peptides and elicitors, with endophytes being another step beyond that. As such, it’s now about timing – being strategic to truly get the most from what have the potential to be very exciting products,” he says.
Rather than let farmers take on the burden of trial and error, this is where Agrii field-scale trials come in, to help inform targeted biosolutions use, highlights Neil. Consequently, a bank of applied research insight is being built among the agronomic community.
“If we start with peptides, I perceive these as not dissimilar to giving a plant a flu jab which means moving away from conventional fungicide timings. We want a healthy, strong plant which is better prepared for the months ahead as a pre-cursor to a T0, just as a human would in readiness for winter cold season,” he explains.
Peptides are short-chain amino acids which can help plants to overcome both abiotic and biotic stresses. Used as signalling molecules, they’re involved in many biological processes and therefore, different peptides perform different roles in helping to boost plant health and resilience.
GREENER FOR LONGER
In contrast, an amino acid is a single building block molecule that when combined, forms a peptide.
“A beauty of peptides is they can be mixed with a herbicide which is helpful for those requiring an earlier pass ahead of T0. Yes this can be perceived as an additional round with the sprayer, but keeping a crop greener for longer may help with making efficiencies later on in the management programme,” says Neil.
“We have to acknowledge that any fungicide or herbicide application has potential to check a crop to some degree. This is why optimising green leaf area and overall health status is so beneficial.
“Furthermore, while we’re softening any pesticidal crop effects, we’re also adding resilience and health, meaning a plant is less susceptible to disease.”
With peptides increasing in popularity, Neil adds that Agrii has seen consistent results from their use which is critical when it comes to securing grower confidence in the products. “Because these products aren’t regulated in the same way as conventional plant protection products, we all have a heightened awareness and natural scepticism of any manufacturer claims.
“Observing consistent results in the field from best practice application is a must – mis-using the technology with a resulting bad experience in many ways, belittles the science. That’s why we’re investing effort into really understanding how to best use biosolutions including their timing.”
For those willing to try a pre-T0 application of peptides, Neil says the risk is paying off. “With a protectant approach, growers are then seeing results which carry on through the season.”
One such willing risk-taker is Kevin Bell who farms around 100ha at Charing in Kent. He says his aim is to maximise the return of each hectare of land, which also led him to being part of Agrii’s iFarm network.
With the guidance of Neil, Kevin has been trialling Agrii’s approach to biosolutions. “I’ve seen some positive results and therefore plan to continue using the biosolutions to complement our drive towards efficiency gains.
“I understand these types of products could be key in the future; seeing them being used in a trial scenario gives me confidence in exactly how and when to use them,” explains Kevin.
Ensuring efficient production is front of mind for all growers, adds Neil, “We can’t land in a place where money is being spent and growers aren’t seeing positive results. Equally, input prices are increasing so we’re seeing more interest in the role of plant health.
“If we can understand these natural processes and apply them as part of an IPM-approach to crop management, we can reduce our reliance on both new and old chemistry. Given rising sustainability demands, surely that’s a good thing?” he suggests.
Although readily on-board with peptides, Neil does believe more research should be undertaken into how endophytes work. “Again, it’s understanding the timing and application conditions required to yield the best results.
“Being a living organism, it adds an additional layer of complexity to the product which we’ve perhaps not had before. Yes they’re an exciting technology, but in ways we can’t afford to get it wrong,” he concludes.
This article was taken from the latest issue of CPM. Read the article in full here.
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