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Plant scientists from the University of Kentucky will present a poster session on research involving SoilBuilder at Plant Biology 2012, the annual meeting of the American Society for Plant Biologists (ASPB):

What? Plant Biosensors: Monitoring changes in the phenlypropanoid pathway in response to microbial based soil additives (Poster 16 - Gene Regulation and Molecular Biology)
Who? Mohammad Babar Ali & David H McNear, University of Kentucky
When & Where? Plant Biology 2012, July 20-24, 2012, Austin, TX

Dr. Bob Ames, Director of Applied Sciences at Agricen, was recently interviewed by Golf Course Industry, covering topics that include plant bionutrition research, sustainability, and how soil nutrient availability can be improved by incorporating bionutrition products into existing fertility programs.

One excerpt:

GCI: What do we see in bionutrition research right now?

Dr. Ames: There is a large variety of bionutrition products out there that make a lot of claims, especially for turf applications. It is a challenge to sift through those and see who has university research to back those claims up. We have substantiated our product claims with research in agronomic crops, which is the bulk of our market. What we see with agriculture is that when our products are combined with fertilizer, we help reduce nitrogen loss through volatilization and leeching. Thus, there is also a greater retention of nitrogen fertilizer in the soil. So, we can approach turf nutrition with environmental as well as economic concerns, especially now with new regulations restricting the application of nitrogen, or in some cases phosphorus-containing fertilizers…Our approach is to make more efficient and more effective use of the fertilizer when it’s combined with the product.

You can read the full interview here.

In continuous no-till corn, crop residues with a high carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio (about 60:1) can build up. When this happens, the soil microorganisms responsible for decomposing crop residue compete with the plant for nitrogen. A C:N ratio of 30:1 or lower is required for the soil microorganisms to effectively decompose crop residues without immobilizing the soil nitrogen needed by the growing plants.

Some growers have tried to address this issue by applying additional nitrogen to the soil to lower the C:N ratio, minimize microbial competition for plant nitrogen, and improve corn yield.

In 2010 and 2011, agronomists from Pioneer conducted field studies on corn at five locations in Iowa to investigate whether adding an additional ~40 lbs nitrogen/acre above the grower’s standard fertility rate would reduce microbial competition for nitrogen, improve cornstalk nitrate-nitrogen levels, and increase yield.

The grower’s standard nitrogen rate was 200 lbs N/acre. Additional nitrogen (above the standard rate) was supplied using four different nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Accomplish® LM, a biochemical product that does not include nitrogen, was also included in this study, and was compared to the additional nitrogen sources. The six treatments in the studies were:

• Grower’s standard N (200 lbs N/acre) (control)
• Grower’s standard N + Accomplish® LM (Loveland Products) at 1.5 quarts/acre (no additional N)
• Grower’s standard N + urea ammonium nitrate (UAN, 28-0-0) at 39 lbs/acre
• Grower’s standard N + ammonium sulfate (AMS, 21-0-0-24S) at 41 lbs/acre
• Grower’s standard N +  MicroEssentials® SZ (MESZ; Mosaic Company; 12-40-0-10(S)-1(Zn) analysis) at 41 lbs/acre
• Grower’s standard N + urea (46-0-0) at 39 lbs/acre

Treatments were applied in late March of both years. In 2010, soil nitrate testing was performed in late spring and stalk nitrate evaluations were made from each treatment strip in late fall. In 2011, soil phosphate (P) availability was determined, rather than nitrate.

When soil nitrate levels were averaged across the five Iowa locations in 2010, Accomplish LM treatment was associated with the highest soil nitrate levels (20.6 ppm), indicating that more of the applied N from the grower’s standard treatment was available in the soil with Accomplish—and no additional nitrogen—compared to the other treatments where additional nitrogen was applied on top of the standard fertility rate (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Accomplish LM increased soil N availability without additional N application in late spring.

At the end of the 2010 season, stalk nitrate was lowest in Accomplish LM-treated plants (Fig. 1), but the average yield was highest with this treatment (Fig. 2), results that were repeated in the 2011 growing season (Fig. 2). These results indicate that more of the applied nitrogen was taken up by the crop and utilized for grain production with Accomplish LM, rather than remaining in the stalks.

Figure 2. The average corn yields in the two years of the trial were highest with Accomplish LM vs additional N application.

Phosphorus analysis of the soil at five locations in 2011 indicated that, on average, more P was available to plants in the Accomplish LM-treated plots compared to the plants grown in plots with the other treatments, including those with additional N and P applications (Fig. 3). This P increase was observed with two extraction methods: Bray P1 (analyzes for readily available P) and Bray P2 (analyzes for P that is in a plant-available form, but more difficult for the plant to take up from the soil). Thus, Accomplish LM was shown to be more efficient in keeping P available to the crop.

Figure 3. Improved P availability when Accomplish LM is combined with a standard NPK fertility program.

Based on two years of field studies conducted at several locations in Iowa, Pioneer agronomists demonstrated that Accomplish LM, when combined with a grower’s standard fertility program, can increase both soil N and P availability for corn and increase crop yields.

The nutrient release technology in the original Accomplish LM formulation is today found in Accomplish MAX (for use with in-furrow liquid starter fertilizers), Titan XC (for use on dry fertilizers) and Extract PBA (for use in liquid broadcast applications).

Learn more about these technologies by downloading the biocatalyst technology booklet.

Agricen has been working with the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the University of Florida to evaluate the effects of our biochemical-based technology, found in plant nutrition tools such as Loveland Products’ Accomplish LM, on tomato yields. The most recent data show that adding Accomplish LM to a plant nutrition program for tomatoes significantly increases fruit yields and size.

Field studies were conducted in Fall 2010 and Spring 2011. In both studies, tomato plants were transplanted to field plots treated with a standard NPK fertilizer alone (“control”) or standard NPK plus Accomplish LM (“treated”). Accomplish LM was applied at transplant (3 quarts/acre) and then two weeks later at the same rate.

In 2010, Accomplish LM treatment was associated with a 3% increase in total seasonal yield (two harvests) compared to the control. Notably, there was a statistically significant increase in total fruit, large fruit, and extra large fruit picked from Accomplish LM-treated plots at the second harvest (improvements of 5.7%, 18% and 6.9%, respectively, for treated vs. control plots).

In 2011, Accomplish LM treatment was associated with a 25% increase in total seasonal yield compared to the control (Figure 1). Moreover, an increase in the number of extra large fruit picked from Accomplish LM-treated plots at both harvests led to a statistically significant, 39.9% overall increase in the yield of extra large fruit.

Figure 1. Accomplish LM applied at 3 quarts/acre at transplanting and 3 quarts/acre two weeks later led to a significant increase in total seasonal yield and in the yield of extra large fruit compared to control (NPK fertilizer alone)

We are pleased to see the data demonstrating the power of Accomplish technology as a tool for tomato growers who want to improve their yields more sustainably.

This fall, the University of North Texas and Agricen announced that they will be collaborating on research into plant-microbe relationships in agricultural systems. Employing next-generation sequencing, the joint research program will focus on better understanding the role that microbial diversity plays in building and sustaining crop production.

With this new collaboration, the University of North Texas now joins other Agricen academic research partners, including Auburn University, the University of Kentucky, and Texas A&M University.

This summer, Agricen conducted a rhizobox study near our Texas headquarters to evaluate the effects of treating MicroEssentials® SZ, the Mosaic Company’s 12-40-0-10(S)-1(Zn) fertilizer, with Titan Powered by Accomplish (Titan PBA), a fertilizer catalyst from Loveland Products.

Corn, wheat and soybean seeds were planted in rhizoboxes in field soil with either MicroEssentials SZ fertilizer treated with Titan PBA (treated) or a standard monoammonium phosphate (MAP) 11-52-0 fertilizer (control). Root and shoot growth were observed over a four-week period. This was during a particularly hot time in the Texas summer, with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees.

As you can see from the comparisons at Day 24, treated crops had noticeably better lateral root development and shoot growth compared to controls:

Corn

Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.

Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Wheat

Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.

Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Soybean

Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.

Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Plants in the treated boxes also had earlier lateral root development compared to controls throughout the four-week growing period. Watch the root growth day-by-day in our video, below:

Titan makes use of Agricen’s biologically sourced technology to increase fertilizer availability and improve overall plant health. 

Learn more by downloading the Titan product booklet.

Agricen presented data on SoilBuilder at the 2011 ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings. SoilBuilder is Agricen’s base biochemical fertilizer catalyst technology for the agriculture industry.

In a 3-year field study conducted at Arise Research and Discovery (Martinsville, IL), SoilBuilder reduced nitrate leaching from soil applications of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) – in addition to improving nitrogen use efficiency and corn yields – when incorporated into an integrated nutrient management program on corn. The data was discussed during an oral presentation: Increased Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Reduced Nitrate Leaching Using SoilBuilder AF in an Integrated Nutrient Management Program on Corn (Abstract #387-3).

Data from a separate study on SoilBuilder, conducted by researchers from Auburn University, was also presented: Microbial Inoculants as Tools for Reducing Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Soil (Oral presentation; Abstract #288-4).

Reducing a fertilizer’s leachable nitrates allows the fertilizer to act more efficiently. It also helps protect our water resources.

In a three-year lysimeter study, we evaluated the ability of SoilBuilder™, our base fertilizer catalyst platform, to increase corn yields by converting fertilizer nitrogen (N) into a less leachable form. The study was conducted at the field research facilities of Arise Research & Discovery, Inc., in Illinois.

SoilBuilder-treated fertilizer was compared to untreated fertilizer (control) over three growing seasons. Corn yield and nitrate leaching were evaluated. Each treated area (SoilBuilder vs. control) included four rows of field corn (row length: 30 ft; row spacing: 30 in; seed rate: 30,000/acre. The volume of leachable water and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in the water were determined six times during each season following pumping of the lysimeter wells.

In each of the three seasons, adding SoilBuilder to fertilizer increased yields over the control (Table 1). It was also associated with a significant reduction in nitrate leaching compared to the control (Table 2).

The average rate of nitrate leaching during the 2008 growing season is shown in Figure 1.

Overall, this field trial shows the ability of SoilBuilder to convert fertilizer nitrogen into a less leachable form that is more available for crop nutrition.

It is just one of the many projects we do at Agricen to demonstrate that our biologically sourced tools can effectively increase crop yields.

As a company, we care about doing things the right way — from producing quality fertilizer catalyst products that help growers improve sustainability in the field to improving our own practices at our Pilot Point, Texas, headquarters.

As our company grows, so does our demand for resources – especially water. This is a challenge for producers of all kinds, whether growers or product manufacturers, particularly as companies look for more ways to be “green” and incorporate sustainable practices. It is even more of a pressing challenge in places like Texas, where water conservation is important because of frequent periods of drought.

What have we done to address this issue? Earlier this year, Agricen built a water retention lagoon that holds up to a half a million gallons – about one month of our average water use.

We are now able to use that reclaimed water in our production process. The lagoon allows us to support our water needs during periods of drought or when production is in high demand. And, one interesting fact about this water – it’s actually cleaner than tap water after going through our rigorous filtration process.

At Agricen, our goals include a corporate responsibility to manage the impact we have on our local community and the environment. In this case, it made good economic sense. It was also just the right thing to do.