This autumn, we will again see wheat plantings later than planned. As the industry adapts to the unusual becoming usual, Tom Wheelhouse, technical specialist at UPL, advises farmers to consider outside-the-box solutions to help crops catch up.
Autumn-applied biostimulants could be one solution alongside other factors, such as vigorous varieties and changes to establishment systems, says Tom.
Foliar biostimulants are typically applied in the spring alongside macro and micro nutrition. However, to help encourage farmers to look into autumn applications, last year UPL launched the Vitalroot challenge.
50 farmers were given enough Vitalroot to cover 20 hectares. UPL recommended that it be applied from two leaves until the beginning of tillering, which often combines with early post-emergence herbicide applications.
“The main ingredient in Vitalroot is GoActiv (GA142), an oligosaccharide isolated from seaweed extract,” says Tom. “It is filtered to produce a high concentration in the formulation, with some added potassium and phosphate.
“The oligosaccharide kick-starts enzyme activity, producing more amino acids for the plant’s metabolic pathways. This has a snowball effect on the plant. More extensive roots and greener leaves enhance nutrient uptake and energy conversion for further growth.”
Agrii agronomist Sam Bailey tried some Vitalroot on a wheat crop last season, having taken up UPL’s Vitalroot Challenge. The crops that had Vitalroot were some of the best ones he looks after coming out of the winter, said Sam.
Following a pre-emergence herbicide, Sam tank mixed the Vitalroot with the peri emergence follow-up three weeks after drilling around 1 November.
He has experimented with a few other biostimulant products in the spring, but the Vitalroot was the first time he had applied a foliar biostimulant in the autumn. The major challenge with spring applications of biostimulants is large tank mixes in early spring.
“If I’m going through a poorly performing crop with nutrition, I would put one in, but I can’t find room in the tank mix for them in routine spring applications.
Autumn, when farmers apply an early post-emergence herbicide or a BYDV spray, could be a position to include a product to boost plant health, said Sam.
“That’s the position where I’ve used Nutri-Phite PGA in the past, and that would be where I can see Vitalroot having a place. It’s a timing when there’s only two or three products in the tank, so there’s room for it, and if farmers get additional biomass going into the winter, they will see the value,” he added.
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