July 2021 - 9

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When fungicides need a helping hand ...
We've come to rely on fungicides,
because we trust them to do what
they say on the tin: they deal
with disease, right? But as Dean
Konieczka, consultant agronomist
with OMEX®
sometimes our fungicide friends
need a little help if they're to
perform at their best.
Plant pathologists often agree that
the main reason diseases and plant
pathogens get a hold in the plant is
because of stress. Just like humans,
who are more susceptible to picking
up a cold or getting sick when we're
suffering from burnout, plants
too have a less effective immune
defense when they're stressed.
Now, while we value fungicides for
their ability to control and protect
against disease, everyone's also
acutely aware of the increasing
incidence of fungicide resistance.
That's making newer fungicides
harder to find and to get approved,
which in turn adds to the cost of
those few that do make it to market.
Many growers are mindful of the
need to 'steward' their fungicide
use, making efforts to save them for
when they have no alternative. So is
it possible to use fewer fungicides?
At OMEX, we'd say the answer
is an unreserved 'Yes!', thanks
to discoveries made by OMEX®
scientists who focused on the
connection between nutrition
and crop health. That came about
because we decided to go back to
basics.
Every plant in every crop has a
singular objective: to deliver yield.
Depending on the crop, that yield
will be in vegetative form - leaves,
stalks, tubers - or reproductive
form, such as fruit, grains or nuts.
Agrifluids points out,
Irrespective of the crop, the plant's
goal in life is simply to produce as
many leaves or fruits as possible.
That's all down to its genetic
programming - and it's these
genetics that will determine what we
refer to as the yield potential.
And it's named thus for a reason: it's
the potential of what the plant might
achieve, under perfect conditions
without any limiting factors
such as nutrients, water, pests,
competing weeds and, of course,
disease. In practice, we use our
crop management programs - the
fertilizers, irrigation, insecticides,
herbicides and fungicides, often
in conjunction with a controlled
environment like the high-tunnel -
in an attempt to modify the crop's
local environment to remove, or
reduce, the effect of those limiting
factors.
Of course, there's only so much
we can do, which is why plant
scientists are beginning to look at
optimization of the plant's internal
environment too. Can we modify or
support its physiological systems
and processes to ensure it lacks
for nothing in pursuit of its genetic
potential?
The OMEX® research team looked
specifically at the connection
between nutrition and crop health.
As many growers will know, it's
an area that's suffered from the
attention of pseudo-scientists and
supposed 'miracle cures' for years.
That's often discouraged 'proper'
research, as has the availability of
effective fungicides: when you've
curative and protective options
available, there's little incentive to
investigate other avenues.
Now, with growers' attention
switching to more sustainable
growing practices, including
integrated crop management (ICM),
the idea is gaining traction.
That's how the OMEX® team settled
on a combination of copper and
zinc for further research: these are
elements already known to play
an important role in crop health.
Zinc helps to maintain the plant's
integumentary system, comprising
the epidermis, leaf cuticle and
plant hairs: this is the plant's first
line of defense against physical
damage and pathogenic attack.
Zinc also improves elasticity, wound
healing and disease suppression.
Copper facilitates the production of
phenolics, a group of compounds
that influence plant growth and
defense responses.
The end result? Cell Power®
Zynergy™, the first 'functional
fertilizer' from OMEX. It's a fertilizer
that - thanks to its formulation -
acts like a fungicide without being
registered as one. Trials across a
range of crops, from potatoes and
roots through to vegetables and
fruit, show that it complements the
fungicidal activity of established
agrochemicals.
Significantly, the effects are
synergistic: the combined effect of
Zynergy™ and the agrochemical
is greater that the effect achieved
through using the individual
products alone. Our team's still
working to understand the specific
mode of action, although it's clear
that it's the increased availability of
the copper and zinc that is helping
the plant to better withstand the
attack by the pathogen.
What does this mean for the
average grower? Well, in a lowfungicide
program, Zynergy™
delivers a statistically significant
impact on disease levels when
applied early in the season.
This should help growers better
manage their workloads by
keeping disease levels low and
avoiding the need for any 'fire
truck' treatments.
So while it doesn't remove the
need for fungicides, it does reduce
the pressure on them. Even in
the absence of disease, it remains
a highly effective foliar fertilizer
across a wide range of crops.
It's this 'dual action' offering that's
already helped Zynergy™ find
a home in the integrated crop
management programs of many
U.S. growers.
For more information about
OMEX®
Cell Power®
visit www.omexusa.com.
The OMEX®
Zynergy™,
team is always available
to answer queries and questions
from growers about vegetable
nutrition.
Learn more at www.OMEXusa.com.
The product names and
brands referenced here are
registered and trademarks of
OMEX®
Agrifluids, Inc.
© OMEX® Agrifluids, Inc. 2021.
Call 559-661-6138
Visit www.OMEXusa.com
Email omexusa@omex.com
VGN | JULY 2021 | 9
http://www.omexusa.com http://www.OMEXusa.com http://www.OMEXusa.com
July 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2021
