27 Ate Today? Thank a Farmer. Better Farming | April 2024 been mentioned, but the other is within the soil. Plant-available forms of nutrients are the ionic forms – like nitrate and sulphate. These ions have positive or negative charges. Positively charged ions, like ammonium (NH4+), will be drawn to the negatively-charged organic matter and soil particles. This “fixes” the nutrients to the soil, removing them from the soil solution and making them unavailable to the plant for uptake. Alternatively, other ions in the soil can have chemical reactions with the nutrient ions we need, and can precipitate out the nutrients, also making the nutrients unavailable to the plant. Fortunately, the bacteria present in the biological amendments “can unlock those bonds, so the plants can take them back,” says Banerjee. This is where biostimulants come into play. “Biostimulants contribute to overall plant health, improving nutrient use efficiency, crop quality, or the plant’s ability to cope with stress,” explains Roelants. Healthy soils have a variety of microbes, and the bacteria in biologicals is naturally derived. Agriculture is an essential industry; unfortunately, agricultural practices also interrupt many of the natural cycles that would occur without human influence. This can throw the biology of the soil and the system out of balance. “Chemistry can’t sell without the biology,” says Banerjee. “I would argue that biologicals might be farmer’s least expensive (soil nutrition) option. This is nature enhancing nature.” Banerjee is hopeful for the biologicals market within Canada. “There’s already a huge global market; I’m confident that Canada’s market will grow, too.” However, a big problem for the biologicals industry is “farmers going back to what they know will work, because the other answers aren’t there.” Banerjee is confident that those answers will come. “Our biology is getting nearly as precise as the chemistry.” Unfortunately, the history of biological amendments is a little bumpy. Chris Dumigan, the Biologicals field specialist with Syngenta, explains, “there is widespread skepticism surrounding biologicals in Canada. Much of this likely comes from a number of products with grand claims, poor supporting evidence, and lack of knowledge around the product fit to deliver. “It is important to understand that most biologicals are not a one-sizefits-all silver bullet, but rather, technology that has the potential to deliver great results in the field if it is used right. This is why companies have invested into R&D about how to use their products with precise application information.” Banerjee concurs. “Don’t promise a magic wand or a 100 per cent success rate. Biologicals won’t solve everything, and Mother Nature can be treacherous. However, when our customers use our biologicals, they like it and they can trust it.” Companies are investing the resources to make products better, explains Code. “Syngenta is building out the agronomic understanding with the Canadian-led performance data growers expect from a company like ours. We can then offer a support team to provide agronomic recommendations and advice tailored to your operation.” The questions and uncertainty around biologicals are a little like the question of the chicken and the egg. “The more that farmers use biologicals,” says Banerjee, “the more companies will be interested in them. Then more smart people will study them, and the quality and consistency of the Biologicals Manas Banerjee Chris Dumigan
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