Grainswest - Winter 2023

Winter 2023 grainswest.com 35 “There isn’t a product out there that will give you 10 per cent. We’re looking for small gains, because guys are already doing a pretty good job at what they’re doing.” — Jason Trowbridge “In general, we did not see much of a difference in wheat, but then we have to take into account there was also pretty bad drought in 2021,” said Dhillon. “Overall, the yields were pretty low, so it is possible the moisture was limiting.” Data for the 2022 trials has not yet been analyzed, but Dhillon is curious to see if there was an effect, as crops received a decent amount of moisture. Although the study is now complete, Dhillon said he hopes to continue it in the future. “There was a fair bit of interest from producers, and we did see some positive results,” he said. FARMERS WEIGH IN Crop nutrition comes first, said Darold Niwa, a durum and lentil farmer in the Medicine Hat area, in a Twitter conversation on the use of biostimulants. While he has used and tested biostimulants on his farm, he admitted repeatability and trial consistency are challenging. A trained agronomist, Niwa has worked with biostimulants while employed by BASF and UFA. He looks for two factors when he chooses a product for his own use. “I look for a product that works on a molecular level within the epigenetics of the plant,” he said. He also ensures the product contains constituents or metabolites such as glutamic acid or jasmonic acid. “There is biochemistry that [they] perform within a plant that I know are repeatable and positive,” he said. “But if you don’t get macronutrients really balanced and correct in a plant, no biostimulant will ever, ever work because the nutrition is wrong,” he added. Niwa also advises biostimulant users to consider application timing that is suited to the plant’s needs rather than simply convenient for the farmer. Taylor Snyder farms 1,200 acres near Bonnyville with his father and brother. He said they have tried a variety of biostimulant products. Snyder’s grandfather started to use them 20 years ago when the farm had a serious grasshopper problem. After using biologicals, he found he no longer had to spray for insects. In fact, he hasn’t sprayed insecticides in nine years. This was a turning point, and Snyder hasn’t looked back. “We’re quite happy with them,” said Snyder. He admitted, though, he’s not good at setting up replicated trials. “A lot of times if it seems like it works, then we’ll try it some more. And if it still seems to be working, then we’ll use it.” ON-FARM TRIALS THE RIGHT WAY Jason Trowbridge is an independent agronomist with Growise Agronomy in Lethbridge. He has used biostimulants since he was a teen. Like Niwa, he said the effects are difficult to assess, especially if you don’t get basic nutrition right. Still, he believes in them. “The market is flooded with several categories from actual stimulants to live biology to hormones, all working slightly differently,” he said. “It cannot be boiled down to this product on that crop works great. It is about understanding the impact each will have, and are they necessary in your situation.” Is the product compatible with how the farmer intends to apply it? Trowbridge recommends farmers start with a soil test. Once a biostimulant has been selected, it’s important to cut out products that could potentially kill the added biology. Field scale trials need to be half and half, said Trowbridge. Choose a field that’s representative of your farm’s average conditions and divide it in two. Apply the biostimulant to one half and seed as normal on the other half. If you plan to use fungicides, herbicides and pesticides, apply as normal across both plots. For clear results, Trowbridge also advises farmers to stick with one product at a time rather than test combinations. Use a product that suits the intended outcome. For example, a micronutrient is not necessary if your soil already contains adequate micronutrients, he said. Conduct a soil test before and after the trial to measure harvest parameters, including yield, quality, test weight and proteins, said Trowbridge. Dial back your expectations and don’t draw conclusions from the combine monitor. “If you’re going to do a trial, give it a fair trial,” he added. “Don’t expect to see 10 per cent. There isn’t a product out there that will give you 10 per cent. We’re looking for small gains, because guys are already doing a pretty good job at what they’re doing.” Trowbridge is excited about the future of biologicals, but remains skeptical commercial products will deliver the best results. “Biology is probably the key to our next agricultural breakthrough, but I don’t think it’s going to be a commercial product,” he said. “I think it’s going to be understanding the biology that’s in the soil and learning how to treat it properly and not kill it.”