As most growers are starting to wrap up seeding their crops for the 2021 growing season, crop inputs are starting to leave their minds. But don’t let crop inputs leave your mind just yet! There is still time to boost your crop’s early growth and ensure the roots develop well with biologicals like early post PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria). In this edition of Growing Possibilities, we will look at how some biologicals can affect your crop health after the seed is in the ground.

The PGPR biologicals can offer several modes of action that can help your crop throughout the growing season, so let’s talk about a few of them.

Phosphorous (P) nutrition is essential throughout the growing season, but is especially important during early plant development if you want the highest yields possible (1). However, most P present in soil is bound to ions like calcium [Ca₃(PO₄)₂], iron (FePO₄), magnesium [Mg₃(PO₄)₂] and aluminum (AlPO₄), making it inaccessible to the plant. Biologicals with P-solubilising bacteria release enzymes that break the phosphates from these ions, making them available for plant uptake and increasing potential plant P nutrition. This doesn’t just increase the P coming from this year’s fertilizer applications either; P-solubilising bacteria also free up fixed phosphates naturally present in the soil or leftover from previous fertilizer applications.

The PGPR can also release phytohormones into your soil. Phytohormones regulate root and shoot growth and encourages the development of a strong and healthy root system early in a plant’s life, something essential for acquiring nutrients from the soil (2). Phytohormones are also a plant’s way to regulate and stimulate responses to drought, high salinity, soil toxicity, nutrient deficiencies, but these conditions themselves can disrupt a plant’s ability to create them (3). Utilizing PGPR that can stimulate and produce phytohormones can help mitigate the damage done to your growing plants in these situations.

Iron (Fe) is another nutrient that can be difficult for plants to acquire in some environmental conditions. Fe is required by plants for chlorophyll production in their leaves and is acquired by the acidification of the surrounding soil near plant roots. High pH and wet soil conditions prevent plants from acidifying the soil in their rhizosphere, which can make uptake by plants difficult. The PGPR that release siderophores will chelate Fe in a plant’s rhizosphere and keep it available to plant roots for uptake, lowering the plant’s risk of iron deficiency.

In-furrow biological application is common, and applying these products with your starter fertilizers is always a good idea, but if your seed is in the ground already, don’t think it’s too late for the benefits of PGPR. Because the bacteria that power PGPR biologicals are motile, they can be applied to the soil surface after planting. These motile bacteria will move through the soil to find their target: your plant roots. Biologicals like XiteBio® Yield+ can easily be applied post-emergent during the 0-6 leaf stage, and can be tank-mixed and sprayed alongside other post-emergent crop inputs like herbicides and fertilizers. Just be sure to check that your biological of choice is compatible with the other products in your tank before mixing, as incompatible products can harm the bacteria in your biological and impact their effectiveness.

Another factor to consider when applying early post-emergent biologicals is residue or trash coverage on your field. While the bacteria in biologicals like XiteBio® Yield+ are motile, and will move through soil to your plant roots, excess trash coverage on your soil’s surface can still prevent them from getting into your plant roots (or rhizosphere) for colonization before harsh environmental conditions like UV light or excessive wind may desiccate (kill) them. For XiteBio® Yield+, we recommend no more than 25% ground trash cover when applying early post-emergent to get the best results.

XiteBio® Yield+ is a premium liquid biological for oilseeds, legumes, cereals and tuber crops and offers all of the modes of action mentioned above. It offers an easy-to-use, all in one liquid formulation with options for in-furrow or early post-emergent application that can be seamlessly integrated into your existing crop fertility regimen. XiteBio® Yield+ is also approved for organic use in Canada and is powered by XiteBio’s patented naturally occurring PGPR, meaning it is sustainable and very user-friendly. To learn more about XiteBio® Yield+, Click Here.

References:

1) Grant, C.A., Flaten, D.N., Tomasiewicz, D.J., Sheppard, S.C. 2001. Importance of Early Season Phosphorus Nutrition. Better Crops, 85 (2).

2) Radhakrishnan, R., Hashem, A., Abd-Allah, E. 2017. Bacillus: A Biological Tool for Crop Improvement through Bio-Molecular Changes in Adverse Environments. Front. Physiol. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00667/full

3) Egamberdieva, D., Wirth, S., Alqarawi, A. et al. 2017. Phytohormones and Beneficial Microbes: Essential Components for Plants to Balance Stress and Fitness. Front. Microbio. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02104/full