What are IBA and kinetin, and how do they benefit crops?

IBA (which stands for indolebutyric acid) and kinetin are two different types of plant growth regulators or hormones. IBA is an auxin that is produced in the plant’s leaves and shoots. IBA travels downwards to the roots and stimulates early and improved root growth, which increases plant vigor and the plant’s ability to fight off stress throughout the growing season. Kinetin is a cytokinin that travels up the plant from the root tips, directing many physiological functions of plant growth.

Congratulations to Dennis Lindsay, a corn and soybean grower from Masonville, Iowa, who is the winner of a $500 American Express gift card after attending our recent Foliar Technologies webinar. Dennis is pictured below with CPS representative Larry Wulfekuhle.

Soybean StartUp is a tank mix of Accomplish^® LM and Radiate^®, applied in furrow at planting. The goal is to get soybean plants off to a better, faster start and enhance productivity. 

In trial after trial, this program keeps giving a standout performance in the field.

The soybean plants in the pictures below were planted on May 28^th, 2015 in Greensburg, Kansas, by a grower who had trialed the Soybean StartUp program on half of his acres. The beans on the left were treated 2x2 with 10 gallons of 16-0-16-5 alone, while the beans on the right were treated 2x2 with 10 gallons of 16-0-16-5 and Soybean StartUp (1 quart of Accomplish LM with 4 ounces of Radiate in furrow). Pictures were taken mid-June.

Soybean StartUp—a tank mix that consists of Accomplish^® LM and Radiate^®®, two of Loveland Products’ most advanced plant health technologies—is the industry’s first no-salt starter program for soybeans.

This week, Loveland Products announced that Radiate^® has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for in-furrow uses with soybean, peanut and sweet corn crops.

Without a well-developed root system, a crop can’t intercept all of the nutrients it may need. And even once nutrients are inside the plant, the plant may not be able to move them to areas of highest demand. Immobile nutrients can stay trapped in roots and older leaves, causing nutrient deficiencies in new growth.

Tim Sickman, Research Farm Manager, Loveland Products

Most of the mineral nutrients that plants need for development, growth and health are taken up by the roots. However, plants can also absorb nutrients directly through their leaves, and foliar feeding is widely used and accepted as an essential part of crop production.

Although leaves don’t have the capacity to absorb a large quantity of nutrients, nutrient absorption through the leaf is more efficient than nutrient uptake from the soil. For this reason, foliar applications provide a precise and efficient way for growers to address micronutrient deficiencies. Foliars can also be used more broadly to boost plant health and performance. Radiate^® and NutriSync^® products are great examples.

I’ve never used a starter program for my soybean plants. Nutrient deficiencies are not as common as they are in corn, and the salt in traditional fertilizers can harm the seedlings. Why would I consider a soybean starter program now?

It’s true that traditional starter fertilizers are not typically used for soybean crops, for both of the reasons that you’ve pointed out. However, like growers of other crops, soybean growers can benefit from tools that help improve plant health and yields. Accomplish^® LM and Radiate^® are plant health products that can be used together as a “starter program” for soybean. They contain no salt and provide a cost effective way for growers to improve plant vigor, reduce plant stress and increase productivity. With an early application of these plant health technologies, growers can improve the health of soybean plants from emergence through yield, all while maximizing the efficiency of their total plant nutrition program.