September 2020 - 17

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Fertilizer with benefits?
" Plant stress is the threat a grower should
fear most. "
That's the message from OMEX®
agronomist Dean Konieczka. He wants
to encourage growers to think more
holistically about crop management; to be
better prepared, so that when conditions
that propagate plant stress do occur,
they're one step ahead.
" Let's go back to basics briefly, " he says.
" Every plant in every crop is programmed
to generate yield - whether vegetative
yield, such as leaves, stalks or tubers, or
reproductive yield in the form of fruits,
nuts or grains.
" The plant's objective is to produce as
many of those leaves or fruits as possible.
That's down to its genetic programming,
which is fixed when the grower selects and
sows the variety.
" But the plant's ability to achieve genetic
potential depends upon its physiological
capacity. When we compile crop
management programs - fertilizers,
irrigation, fungicides, insecticides,
herbicides and so on - our objective is to
modify the crop's local environment, trying
to avoid limiting factors that will prevent the
plant from achieving its genetic capacity -
and thus maximum yield. "
This is bread-and-butter stuff to any
modern, progressive farmer, Konieczka
accepts. " But there's only so much we can
do to optimize that external environment. "
Instead, plant scientists are beginning
to look at optimizing the plant's
internal environment - its systems
and processes - to ensure it lacks for
nothing in pursuit of its genetic potential.
Scientists at OMEX® decided to focus on
the connection between nutrition and crop
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health: a topic that's suffered more than
its fair share of pseudo-science, snake-oil
remedies and miracle cures, says Konieczka,
which has discouraged proper research.
" And as long as we've had effective
fungicides available, offering both curative
and protective properties, there's been little
incentive to investigate more closely. "
But changes in the industry, not least
a greater interest in integrated crop
management, suggests it's now an idea
whose time has come, he says.
" Many pathologists would agree that a lot
of diseases and pathogens come in on the
back of crop stress. What if we can prevent
the plant from reaching that state of stress,
when its immune defenses are weak? Can
we use fewer fungicides, saving them for
when we have no alternative? "
Working from anecdotal evidence, the
OMEX®
team began to look at combinations
of copper and zinc: elements already known
to play a role in crop health. Zinc helps to
maintain the plant's integumentary system,
which comprises the epidermis, leaf cuticle
and plant hairs and acts as the first line
of defense against physical damage and
attack from pathogens. High levels of zinc
improve elasticity, wound healing and
disease suppression. Meanwhile copper
facilitates the production of phenolic
compounds, a diverse group of plant
metabolites that influence plant growth
and defense responses.
The nutrient research project culminated
in the launch of Zynergy™
, the first in what
the company hopes will be a new product
category - 'functional fertilizers'.
" Essentially, we've created a fertilizer that
acts like a fungicide, without actually being
one, " explains Konieczka. " Trials across a
range of different crops, from potatoes
and other root crops, through cereals, field
vegetables and fruit, show that it appears
to complement - often in a synergistic
way - the fungicidal and bactericidal
activity of agrochemicals.
" When used in a typical crop protection
program, it can enhance the results. But
it's a genuine fertilizer, containing copper
and zinc, and we're not claiming fungicidal
activity.
" In fact, we're not exactly sure of its mode
of action, " says Konieczka, confirming that
research to pinpoint its mechanism is still
underway. " What is clear, particularly from
trials we've conducted to examine late
blight in potatoes, is that the increased
availability of the micronutrients helps the
plant to better withstand the attack by the
pathogen.
" In a low-fungicide input scenario,
Zynergy™
appears to have a statistically
significant impact on disease levels when
applied early in the season " which he says
could help growers manage workloads by
keeping disease levels low and reducing
the need for 'fire truck' treatments.
" Again, this is probably due to the plant
making good use of these micronutrients
to bolster its defenses and avoid the
periods of stress that allow a disease
pathogen to take hold. What's especially
great about Zynergy™
is that even in the
absence of disease, it remains a highly
effective foliar fertilizer, suitable for a
wide range of crops.
" On that basis alone, it's going to find a
home in a great many integrated crop
management programs. "
Learn more at www.omexusa.com.
The product names and brands referenced
here are registered and trademarks of OMEX®
Agrifluids, Inc. © OMEX®
Agrifluids, Inc. 2020.
Visit www.omexusa.com
Email omexusa@omex.com
VGN | SEPTEMBER 2020 | 17
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September 2020

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