At the 2024 Corn and Forage Meeting, hosted by UNH Extension, Allen Wilder, forage agronomist at the Miner Institute, discussed a wide variety of new products being introduced to the corn industry. Many of these products are marketed as a way to help corn fix its own nitrogen (N) or mitigate stress, but there wasn’t a lot of research to support these claims. The Miner Institute began a biologicals research program to test these new products.
Biologicals can be thought of as supplements or inoculants for plants. They are not a cure for a problem in your field, but can instead “take your yield to the next level.”
Biologicals can be biological agents, beneficial organisms, seaweed extracts, hormones and more.
Some benefits of biologicals are they are relatively low-cost, they are generally considered safe and growers tend to be more comfortable using them as they are a more natural substance and not synthetically created. However, growers tend to have low expectations for what biologicals will do for their crops, it’s difficult to see if and how they are working and there’s a general lack of research and scientific understanding around them.
One type of biological that has been growing in popularity is plant-growth promoting bacteria. These bacteria are thought to stimulate plant growth, help mitigate crop stress, modify crop quality, help solubilize nutrients, modify soil properties, improve photosynthetic activity and even assist in biological N fixation.
The bacteria’s ability to improve N fixation is “the big [benefit] that we’ve all been hearing about,” Wilder said.
In 2022, the Miner Institute conducted a study to determine how different biologicals affected the corn crop and if any significantly improved N fixation rates.
They conducted the experiment on two different fields at Miner Institute in northern New York, with two different levels of fertility. One field had a lot of manure history and was not given any N supplements, and the second field had no manure history but was provided with 60 lbs. of N/acre.
Allen Wilder, the forage agronomist at the Miner Institute. Photo by Kelsi Devolve
They grew 95-day dual-purpose corn and treated the plots with various products. They tested two soil bacteria (MicroSURGE® by Talc USA and PROVEN® 40 by Pivot Bio); two foliar endophytes that theoretically fix N at the cellular level of the plant (Utrisha® N and Envita®); and a product containing maltol lactone to stimulate the plant microbiome (Source).
In addition to these products, the group created a treatment that added 40 lbs. of extra N to the plot.
At the conclusion of the study, the plots treated with Source produced the highest silage yield. Proven 40 produced the second highest; and Utrisha N and Envita plots yielded poorly. It seemed these foliar endophytes actually “put a yield drag” on the plots, according to Wilder, functioning more like a pathogen.
Adding the 40 lbs. of extra N to some plots did not create a yield response, indicating the plants didn’t need the extra fertilization.
When analyzing silage quality, Wilder stated, “The biggest thing that stood out was starch content.” The plots with the highest silage starch content, and highest grain yield, were those treated with 40 lbs. of extra N and those treated with Proven 40.
Although plots treated with Source produced the highest silage yield, they also had the lowest starch content, suggesting the plant was bigger but the ear itself was not.
Overall, there was no significant difference in the plots’ stalk nitrate, and the various treatments performed the same at both sites. Wilder is not convinced these biologicals are fixing a significant amount of N, but he does believe they are benefiting the plants in some other way.
He pointed out, “Even if you don’t think you’re applying biologicals, you probably are,” as a lot of seed companies put biologicals in their products.
There needs to be more research conducted on these corn biologicals, as using them incorrectly may cause more harm than good.
by Kelsi Devolve
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