Biologicals have tremendous potential to help growers manage the stresses that impact corn throughout the growing season. Questions remain, however, on how to deploy these products, which include living organisms, bacteria, amino acids or plant extracts, in the pursuit of higher corn yields.
AGRIS Co-operative agronomy strategy manager Dale Cowan has been testing biologicals for four years and he’s still looking for some definitive answers on how these products can be consistently utilized in the field to enhance corn production. He sees great potential in a biological like Envita, a product that enables plants to take atmospheric nitrogen and fix it in a form that the plant can use. But after four years of testing he’s struggling to effectively position the product — some trials were very positive but other were “somewhat neutral” and he has yet to identify a clear path to yield success. It’s a hurdle that all biological products need to clear.
“I do love the promise of it [Envita] on corn. If a corn plant can fix so much nitrogen, then we don’t have to get so fussy with the rate of application in the spring,” notes Cowan. When it comes to nitrogen management, a big challenge for growers is determining the crop’s late-season needs and getting required nitrogen to the plant. If a product can consistently do that job “we have a game changer,” he adds.
On this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, Cowan and host Bernard Tobin meet up to take stock of biologicals questions and answers and to discuss how Cowan is testing biological products in the AGRIS MiField applied research program to better understand how they can consistently deliver on their promise in grower fields.
Tap here for more Corn School videos.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | All Podcasts
