Grainswest - Tech 2024

Tech 2024 grainswest.com 41 improve their health, and genetic sequencing on the bacteria will further enhance this understanding. AdvancedAG now markets two products. ACF-SR contains a highly concentrated blend of five microbes that stimulate plant growth. The company claims it enhances germination, promotes plant growth, increases yield and improves soil health. SRP, also a microbe blend, is claimed to optimize plant health, improve disease resistance and boost nutrient uptake. ACF-SR is soil applied, while SRP is foliar applied. AdvancedAG is currently developing seed treatments as well. The company employs dozens of representatives who assist farmers across Canada and in parts of the U.S. To choose a product becomes more difficult as new biological solutions come to market. “If I’m a farmer, and I don’t have a wealth of knowledge or haven’t spent hours reading about the differentiation of all these products, my head would be spinning,” said Day Chief. “I wouldn’t even know what to try.” He recommends farmers start by defining their goals. These may be quicker germination, enhanced root development or to save on the cost of fertilizer. Farmers should then seek data produced by reliable third-party research. Before selecting a biological, he also recommends farmers talk to their peers. What has worked for them? “I always say you’re one farmer away from knowing every farmer in Canada,” said Day Chief. “People talk, and that’s how our business has grown. Word of mouth has been really important.” Grain farmer Ken Farion has used biologicals on his 4,000- acre farm near Vegreville for six years. Farion said he has seen enhanced germination, and the resulting crops are healthier though he uses fewer inputs. In fact, since adopting ACF-SR, he hasn’t used any other seed treatment or fungicide, and dropped fertilizer use by an estimated 20 to 30 per cent. “If conditions are exceptional, we will top dress if need be,” he said. Farion added his soil is healthier, too, and likes that he knows exactly which five bacteria the product contains and how they work throughout their lifecycle. “I go into everything with an open mind. Some things are disappointing, and some aren’t. This is one that’s really caught our attention. We’re really happy with the performance.” Consistent performance is crucial to get farmers on board. But as the Stratus survey indicates, only 37 per cent are willing to commit to two or three years using the brands they adopted in 2023. In fact, most biostimulant categories tend to have a higher percentage of users who are not committed. Commitment is strongest for protein hydrolysates and weakest for nitrogen-fixing biologicals. Russ Putland is an executive vice-president and general manager of Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene, a bioinformatics and big data company. Putland emphasized the No. 1 reason farmers don’t adopt biologicals is skepticism. Lavie Bio has two key stakeholders, Corteva and ICL, a fertilizer company based in Israel. “You ask yourself, well, why are they skeptical?” said Putland. “They adopt new technology better than just about any industry. It’s because we failed. If companies are honest with themselves, the first generation of biologicals from 20 years ago went out early and with mediocre results.” To take the guesswork out of product development, Lavie Bio adopted cutting-edge technology that allows scientists to better understand which microbes work well together and how they interact with their host crops. The partnership with Corteva has proven particularly lucrative for Lavie Bio, as Corteva contributes an extensive microbe library. This database has been integrated into Lavie Bio’s proprietary Biology Driven Design (BDD) platform, a tool that facilitates and accelerates the development of new microbiome-based products. BDD decodes complex microbiome–host interactions and maps individual microbes according to function, efficacy and shelf life. With the help of artificial intelligence, the platform uses this big data to design new products based on desired outcomes. Lavie Bio has a number of biostimulants and biopesticides in the development pipeline, but only Yalos has reached commercialization. The biostimulant is the product of a BDD- suggested pairing that the company’s in-house scientists hadn’t considered. “AI suggested that these two were the combination that would work, and clearly they did,” said Putland. Yalos is a bioinoculant suitable for spring wheat, durum, barley and winter wheat. The product enhances nutrient availability and efficiency, increasing a plant’s natural defence mechanisms in times of stress, said Putland. It contains two microbes, one to enhance nutrient uptake and availability and the other to boost resistance to abiotic stress. The company tested the product in its own greenhouses and followed this with third-party testing. The results were consistent. In commercial trials over multiple years, Yalos bumped wheat yield by an average of six per cent. Putland believes there’s a big future for biologicals, especially when you consider the limited number of new synthetic actives discovered over the last couple of decades. “Nature is so diverse. There are billions of microbes that exist within nature,” said Putland. “We’re not looking to discover new synthetic compounds. We’d rather explore and understand the diversity that already exists, then we can amplify a microbe’s positive functions for use in other plants. Leveraging microbes that exist in nature tends to be a more efficient path than attempting to discover new synthetic compounds.” CONSISTENCY IS KEY BASF Canada now exclusively offers inoculants for pulse and soybean crops. However, its U.S. R&D team continues to develop biologicals in further crops such as corn and soybeans and is testing newly developed products such as a biofungicide for use in North American cereals.