Making decisions for the upcoming 2025 growing season is no small task, but we have to make growing season decisions every year. Between unexpected winter weather systems, undetermined precipitation levels and a fluctuating market, it can be difficult to decide on crop inputs, particularly the dated ones. On this week’s edition of Growing Possibilities, we will try to address the importance of making decisions about inoculants early if you intend to grow legume crops.

Biological inoculants are different from fertilizers and other crop inputs because they contain living organisms (1). To be specific, bacterial inoculants are mass cultured using fermentation techniques. This is a time-consuming process that requires careful aseptic practices (1). Producing quality bacterial inoculants generally requires time and preparation, this cannot be done last minute by manufacturers (1). To further complicate microbial inoculant production, they have special storage requirements, since they are living organisms (1). Generally, they have a 1-2 year shelf life, and therefore cannot be stockpiled like some fertilizer or pesticide products can be. Liquid bacterial inoculants must be stored between 4° C (39° F) and 25° C (77° F), cannot be frozen at any point, must be kept out of direct sunlight, kept away from wind and stored separately from pesticides and herbicides (2). These factors limit manufacturers to produce only a set amount of inoculants and cannot make products on demand (1), as it also demands a high degree of QA/QC (Quality Assurance and Quality Control).

Making late decisions means that you have less options since premium liquid inoculants generally sell out faster than generic inoculants (3). Benefits of premium inoculants include easy of use, flowability, all-in-one packaging, shelf life, and time on seed (3). Not all bacterial inoculants are the same, a good bacterial strain will have years of testing and be backed by ROI data (4). Historical agriculture trends indicate that purchasing early leads to better selection of inputs and better pricing (5).

XiteBio Technologies premium strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum in XiteBio® SoyRhizo® and Rhizobium leguminosarum in XiteBio® PulseRhizo®  have years of field trial data supporting average increases in ROI, making XiteBio’s premium inoculants among the top picks for premium brand bacterial inoculants (4). XiteBio’s products use Advanced Growth Promoting Technology (AGPT®) that stimulates and galvanize both added rhizobia and native soil microflora.

Making decisions early about inoculants provides you with better options for premium products. Instead of making last minute decisions on crop inputs, it’s important to make a plan for cost-effective and high ROI inputs such as premium bacterial inoculants that will lead to healthier plants and better yields. For more information on early ordering or premium bacterial inoculants, please contact one of our sales agronomists or give us a call at 1-855-XITEBIO.

References:

1. https://www.topcropmanager.com/the-science-behind-inoculant-manufacturing-1087/
2. https://xitebio.ca/the-dos-and-donts-of-storage-and-handling-of-rhizobial-inoculants/
3. https://xitebio.ca/why-buy-premium-soybean-inoculant/
4. https://www.topcropmanager.com/what-makes-a-better-inoculant-1021/
5. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/best-practices-for-buying-farm-inputs#:~:text=Historically%2C%20farms%20that%20prioritize%20purchasing,average%20lower%20total%20input%20costs