Biologicals are gaining popularity for better crop yield and overall plant health. The term biologicals is an all-encompassing word for a lot of different uses. As its name implies, any input that is biological has living microorganisms that impact crop health.
That said, let’s look at what you need to know to be successful with biological applications. You may need a greater understanding of your specific farm problems than you’ve had in the past.
Biologicals and Your Specific Acreage
Every farm or ranch has a different set of problems. If you’re in a glaciated area like the Upper Midwest, you have many different types of soil in a single field. If you’re in Illinois, Missouri, or an area that received the runoff from the last glacial age, you have one soil type, probably loam.
One soil type doesn’t mean your farm or ranch has just one issue. Topography, past field use, and many other variables affect your acreage. Biological inputs require more extensive knowledge of your field conditions than even the most precise conventional synthetic input applications. Guidance from a certified soil consultant is a good start to gaining the required insights about your ag property.
Soil tests for native microbial populations are a primary consideration. There’s no point in adding biology if you already have a robust beneficial microbial population. Sadly, very few cultivated fields have a fungi/bacteria ratio that’s optimum for crop health. Past use, especially tillage, and bare soil, are good indicators of the lack of beneficial microbes in the soil. Without nature’s allies, you’ll never get the maximum benefit of any input.
Types of Biologicals and Their Use on Your Ag Operation
In the context of agriculture, there are many ways to optimize crop yield and health with biologicals. Often seeds are coated with a biostimulant prior to planting. This can enhance germination and give crops a head start. If you’re a specialty crop grower and you transplant into your fields, biostimulants can be added at transplant time. This decreases transplant shock.
But biostimulants can’t be optimized when you use synthetic fertilizers. Microorganisms and salt-based fertilizers don’t get along very well. But there are many biofertilizers and biopesticides on the market that are more compatible with the microbes you’re adding.
Biofertilizers are a valuable addition to any ag operation. These are living substances that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria, phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms, mycorrhizal fungi, and cyanobacteria, to name a few. They actively improve the nutrient cycle and make more nutrients available to your crop. Their ability to work with your plants to enhance soil structure means root development is stimulated, and plants have higher nutrient profiles.
In the early stages of conversion of a conventional field to a regenerative field, the use of biopesticides may be needed. Biopesticides are radically different from synthetic pesticides. Almost all biopesticides are pest and disease specific. That reduces the risk of wiping out beneficials such as ladybugs, or pollinators such as native bees. In the past, growers have relied almost exclusively on one biopesticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The use of diverse biopesticides with different modes of action, including IPM and secondary metabolites, fill the gap as both plants and soil gain a healthier status. (1)
Combine Nutrient Inputs and Biologicals for Optimum Plant Nutrient Uptake
Plants can uptake nutrients without biologicals, but not very effectively. Plants use a lot of energy converting nutrients into usable molecules. That’s why biologicals are so valuable for optimum plant health. Biologicals are alive and actively cycling nutrients in the root zone. That means they’re hungry and need to be fed.
The partnership of healthy plants and soil microorganisms allows both to prosper. Plants get energy from the sun through photosynthesis. They give between 5–21 percent of the carbon fixed through photosynthesis to the soil microbes as root exudates. Healthy plants that are photosynthesizing effectively feed the soil microbes who, in turn, supply the plant with nutrients and water.
At ST Biologicals, we recommend BIOACTIVE LiquiLife+™ as a broad-spectrum liquid biological concentrate for delivery of a diversity of beneficial microbes. This product contains hundreds of microbe genera including nitrifying bacteria, trichoderma, pseudomonas, and mortierella. With one product, you can increase your N availability, P solubility, and overall plant vigor.
Combining biologicals with regenerative ag practices gives you effective crop production for a higher ROI. Over the long haul, regenerative ag practices and biologicals continue to improve your soil structure, nutrient cycling, and water retention. In a world where drought and salt stress are becoming too prevalent, you can future-proof your farm. Contact our team at ST Biologicals to learn more. We’re here to help you succeed. When soil speaks, we listen.
