Soil School: Think 4Rs when managing biologicals

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Farmers have become quite familiar with the 4Rs of nutrient management — when it comes to fertilizer application they need to consider the right source, rate, time and placement of nutrients.

As more farmers use biologicals to help meet crop nutrient needs, Mosaic regional agronomist Braydn Lingbeck feels it’s important to take a 4R approach to understanding and managing the wide range of products that make up the emerging category. To start with, Lingbeck says, growers need to make sure they’re selecting the right biological for their farm.

Once that choice is made, it’s important to understand the mode of action of the biological and how to steward it to the farm, says Lingbeck. “We have to remember that these are live microbes that are living and breathing and we need to mix them with the right starter fertilizer and apply them at the right time.”

On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soil School, Lingbeck looks at bacterial colonization of the rhizosphere and why it’s critical for the establishment of plant-bacteria interactions. “There’s a lot of biology in the soil, but it’s really picking the right biology at the right rate and at the right time to really flood that rhizosphere to have the right beneficial bacteria that will really increase your overall nutrient use efficiency.”

Lingbeck says there are lots of people selling microorganisms today and it’s critical for growers to ask about their research efforts and how the products perform on different soil types. He also recommends that growers test products on their farm to assess efficacy and performance. Strip trials are his favourite test and they’re even better when they cover variability across a field. Watch the video below.

Tap here for more Soil School videos.

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