There are lots of good things happening as heads emerge in Ontario winter wheat fields. There’s plenty of potential but final yield will likely be determined by how the crop deals with the many stresses it could encounter between now and harvest.
What role could biostimulants play in managing those stresses? Could this burgeoning category of products help growers put more of that potential in the grain bin? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School, Syngenta Canada biological field specialist Greg Stewart looks at where these products fit in the wheat management tool box and what research and trial results are revealing about application strategies.
In the video, Stewart and host Bernard Tobin visit a field trial location near Sweaburg, Ont., where the company is testing different application timings to understand how products like Megafol, a liquid foliar biostimulant, can be applied to reduce stress and optimize yield. Last year, the product was applied at T1 and T3 timing — that work is being replicated again in 2024.
Stewart also discusses how application strategy could also evolve to be targeted to when the crop is experiencing higher levels of stress rather than a specific growth stage.
Stewart admits that the biggest stress impacting wheat yield is weather, which is tough to tackle from a crop input perspective. But he does believe there’s growing evidence that biostimulants can play a role in managing environmental stress and help narrow the gap between yield potential and actual yield. See the video below.
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