New biologicals on the market

By Treena Hein

Several new biological products are on the market or shortly will be. New inoculants, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, biostimulants and pre-plant soil biofumigants, among others, are a few products headed your way.

Companies offering new biologicals are claiming these products increase root mass development and structure, enhance root and plant growth, improve plant establishment and yields, increase nutrient use efficiencies, allow better tolerance of plants to environmental stressors, and control of diseases, insect pests and weeds. The following is a roundup of some new products already on the Canadian market as well as a few coming down the pipe.

Lalfix Start Spherical Granule

Lalfix Start Spherical Granule from Lallemand is a new inoculant that combines two unique rhizobia strains with a plant growth-promoting bacterium, which increases root mass and enhances phosphorus solubilization.

The inoculant is now available for application in peas, lentils, soybeans and faba beans. The high-porosity granule structure makes it dust-free, with no bridging and reduced bulk density for better soil coverage.

Amalgerol Essence

Hechenbichler, based in Austria, has a new formulation of its well-established product Amalgerol, which has been available in Canada and Europe for decades. Amalgerol Essence, is currently being trialled in several crops (canola, peas, lentils and soybean) in Canada. It’s used as a foliar application that can be tank mixed with in-season herbicide and fungicide products.

The ingredients in Amalgerol and Amalgerol Essence help plants combat stress by promoting root growth and reducing the production of molecules following exposure to environmental stresses that cause damage and reduce plant productivity, according to the company.

There are seven major active ingredients in Amalgerol Essence — amino acids, which help activate stress responses and induce antioxidant defence systems inside plants; antioxidants, which help destroy harmful molecules that cause plant cell damage following frost, drought and heat exposure; naturally derived potassium and nitrogen; herbal extracts that promote plant health; plant hormones derived from seaweed extracts that help induce growth of crops particularly in root tissue; alginate derived from seaweed, which has water retention properties and functions as a soil conditioner; and organic carbon, a source of nutrition for soil microbes that are responsible for breaking down straw and converting it to organic matter.

EnVoy biostimulant

From the Acadian Plant Health Division of Nova Scotia-based Acadian Seaplants is a new highly concentrated biostimulant called EnVoy. According to the company, this product supports improved yield and defends against yield-robbing factors by supporting root growth and plant establishment, boosting nutrient use efficiency and helping plants increase tolerance to environmental stressors like drought, heat, chill and salinity.

Specifically, EnVoy improves plant establishment, root structure and mass and optimizes plant nutrient availability throughout the growth cycle. It also contains natural chelators that bind to micronutrients leading to improved uptake and translocation within the plant. EnVoy also promotes antioxidant production, which aids in stress tolerance and improves photosynthesis by increasing chlorophyll production for better vegetative growth, helps regulate water loss through stomata in times of drought and increases plant salt tolerance, says the company.

Envita and Utrisha N

Envita from NexusBioAg is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium that was launched last year. Applied as a foliar spray, Envita bacteria naturally metabolize nitrogen directly from the air, allowing growers to maintain their nitrogen fertility program and increase yields. It is described as a naturally occurring bacterium called Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, which forms a symbiotic relationship with the host plant and provides nitrogen to every cell in the plant, both above and below ground, throughout the growing season.

Corteva Agriscience’s Utrisha N is a new nitrogen-fixing bacterium that was launched in 2022. Utrisha N, based on the natural bacterium, Methylobacterium symbioticum, is applied as a foliar application. The bacteria enter the stomata openings on the epidermis of leaves and other plant material and colonize the cells within them. The bacteria then quickly begin to capture nitrogen from the air and convert it into a usable form for the plant.

Coming to market

KGS Group of Winnipeg, Man., in collaboration with University of Manitoba researchers, has developed two bio-inoculant strains of bacteria that make soil phosphorus more available to the crop and stimulate plant growth. It will be for use in canola, wheat, corn and perhaps soybeans. The product in development, KGS-3, also shows some antifungal properties.

In the pre-registration phase is TerraMG, a patented liquid product that will help control key diseases, insect pests and weeds. It was developed by MustGrow Biologics in Saskatoon, Sask., and has a two-part formula derived from food grade mustard seed.

The company says there is potential for this technology to be applied globally as a pre-plant soil biofumigant to treat soil-borne diseases and insect pests, and as a post-harvest biopesticide for storage and food preservation. The technology is safe and not hazardous as the two key components are separated and not active until combined in the field. This makes storage, shipping and use safe, but also extends shelf life to more than three years.