More Biologicals Become Mainstream
In the November, 2019 issue of Farm Journal, Corteva Agriscience (an independent public company spun off from Dow Dupont) announced a first-of its-kind product in the agricultural industry. With the use of a metabologenomics process, they plan to develop naturally derived crop protection solutions. By using a high tech chemical analysis (mass spectrometry), the company will try to find naturally occurring chemicals that are produced in nature as a protective mechanism for plants. Once this compound is identified, it will be synthetically produced and sold as a plant protection chemical. Corteva Agriscience is developing this method with the help of the University of Illinois and Northwestern University located in Chicago, Illinois.
Once again, the microbiological life associated with plants or soil is being examined for compounds that are manufactured by the microbiological life in plants and soil that act as protective compounds for growing plants. This approach is gaining mainstream acceptance by the agricultural establishment as man made solutions to the various production problems are running into trouble. An example of this problem is the resistance to antimicrobial compounds in both humans and animals. It hints at the fact that scientists have to go back to the basics to deal with the environment. This agrees with COVID-19 solutions from the experts which suggest our ability to deal with the virus will be much better with the vaccine for COVID-19.
After this discussion, it only makes sense that the Growers Program and/or Growers Mineral Solutions (GMS) seem to work because of the ability to work with the microbiological life by utilizing purity and correct elemental balance. By feeding the microbiological complex in the soil, the crop is able to use applied nutrition more efficiently with less mineral loss in the environment.
The Farm Journal article also refers to the fact that Corteva already uses spinosyns to develop crop protection chemicals. Incidentally, spinosyns are derived from natural sugars that occur in certain plant species. So, could a plant grown under certain protocols that allows the plant to produce more sugar photosynthetically actually be protecting itself from an invading insect? In the past, the agricultural establishment said it was not possible. Is Corteva on a wild goose chase? Maybe the farmer needs to go to the field.
This is an excerpt from the Summer Growers Solution (2021) written by Jim Halbeisen, Director of Research.
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