Keep Green: Revolutionizing coffee cultivation with advanced biostimulants

Did you know that coffee is one of the top-traded commodities in the world, with over 2.25 billion cups consumed daily? 

According to the FAO, ″coffee is the most widely traded tropical product, with up to 25 million farming households globally accounting for 80 percent of world output.″ These households depend on coffee cultivation, making it an essential source of livelihood for many. 

However, coffee growers face several challenges, including climate change, pests, diseases, and fluctuating market prices. These challenges threaten the sustainability and productivity of coffee farming, necessitating innovative solutions to ensure a stable supply and sustainable farming practices. 

Coffee plants are especially vulnerable to climate change, and the increased frequency of drought in coffee-growing regions presents a significant challenge for producers. Droughts, floods, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, leading to unpredictable harvests, reduced yields, and even the complete devastation of entire plantations. 

The impact of climate change has already been felt within Brazil – the world’s biggest coffee bean producer. For example, it was reported that extreme weather in the form of drought and frost combined harmed about 1.5 million km² of cropland and potentially ruined almost 600 million kg of coffee beans in 2020/2021. Reducing the impact of climate change on the coffee crop will be vital for the future of this critical sector.

Biostimulants

Biostimulants are emerging as a revolutionary tool in modern agriculture, providing a natural means to enhance plant growth, resilience, and overall health. Unlike traditional fertilizers, biostimulants focus on stimulating the natural processes within plants, helping them cope with stressors such as extreme temperatures, drought, and poor soil conditions. This makes them particularly relevant in the face of global agricultural challenges. By promoting sustainable farming practices and reducing the need for chemical inputs, biostimulants are becoming essential for improving crop productivity.

This article will look at the importance of biostimulants in agriculture and how ICL’s Keep Green biostimulants can provide coffee growers with an innovative solution to the challenges of protecting the coffee crop from the impact of extreme heat and a changing climate.  

The Importance of Biostimulants in Agriculture

What are Plant Biostimulants?

Plant biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that, when applied to plants, seeds, or soil, stimulate natural processes to enhance nutrient uptake, efficiency, stress tolerance, and crop quality. Biostimulants are becoming crucial to modern agriculture as a means to improve crop productivity without using non-organic fertilizers or harmful pesticides. 

Global Challenges

Environmental stresses such as climate change, drought, and extreme temperatures significantly impact crop production worldwide. 

With extreme weather becoming more frequent, the time between climatic stresses in Brazilian coffee plantations is getting shorter, which means that the plants don’t have a chance to fully recover. For example, a severe drought in 2020 and the worst frost in 27 years in 2021 are still being felt by the susceptible arabica species, which is especially important for smallholder farmers in Brazil. 

These stressors lead to reduced yields, compromised plant health, and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases. In the context of coffee cultivation, these challenges are particularly pronounced, affecting both the quality and quantity of the coffee produced.

General Benefits of Biostimulants

Agricultural biostimulants offer several benefits, including:

• Improved Plant Resilience: They help plants withstand environmental stressors, such as drought and high temperatures.

• Growth Enhancement: Biostimulants promote better root development and overall plant growth.

• Sustainable Farming Practices: By reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, biostimulants contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices.

• Soil Health: Biostimulants also enhance soil health, resulting in improved nutrient uptake and productivity as well as increased tolerance and recovery from stresses such as heat, water, or disease.

Keep Green – A Revolutionary Biostimulant for Coffee Cultivation

″Keep Green is an innovation specifically designed for coffee crops to mitigate environmental stressors and enhance productivity. The results we’ve seen in the field are truly revolutionary.″ — Jose Marcos Leite, ICL Agronomist and Market Development Manager.

Biostimulants are transforming modern agriculture by providing a natural means to enhance plant growth, resilience, and overall health. Unlike traditional fertilizers, which mainly supply nutrients, biostimulants stimulate the natural processes within plants. This helps plants better cope with stressors such as extreme temperatures, drought, and poor soil conditions, making biostimulants particularly valuable in today’s challenging agricultural landscape.

Keep Green: tailored for coffee cultivation

Keep Green is a cutting-edge biostimulant fertilizer formulated by ICL specifically designed to address the unique challenges faced by coffee growers. This product enhances plant strength, boosts growth, and supports sustainable farming practices, making it a game-changer in coffee cultivation. 

Its unique composition includes natural extracts and compounds that work synergistically to enhance plant resilience and productivity, making Keep Green a powerful tool for improving coffee crop health and yield.

Development and innovation

Keep Green is the result of over five years of extensive research and development in partnership with Brazilian researchers. The product was tested in many field trials under a wide range of conditions to ensure the product’s efficacy and safety. This dedication to agricultural progress underscores ICL’s commitment to supporting farmers with innovative solutions in crop production. 

Innovation in coffee cultivation

Keep Green stands out as a revolutionary biostimulant product for coffee cultivation, especially in regions such as Brazil, which are subjected to high sunlight and temperature stress. Its unique formulation not only protects plants from climatic stressors but also promotes better growth and yield. 

How does ICL’s Keep Green work to protect coffee crops?

ICL’s Keep Green employs advanced biostimulant technology to fortify coffee crops against environmental challenges, ensuring robust growth and sustained productivity throughout their lifecycle. It contains a wax that adheres to the leaves, providing long-lasting protection from extreme sunlight even after up to 500 mm of heavy rainfall.

Let’s now explore the mechanisms of action through which Keep Green protects and enhances coffee crops:

1. Enhancing stomatal conductance

Keep Green improves stomatal conductance by keeping stomata open, facilitating better gas exchange and carbon assimilation. Keep Green allows the plant to more efficiently control stomata opening during warmer daylight hours. This enhancement leads to increased photosynthesis and overall plant health, significantly boosting productivity.

2. Increasing the chlorophyll content

By boosting chlorophyll levels, Keep Green enhances light utilization, resulting in bigger, greener, healthier leaves throughout the plant’s growing cycle. Work by ICL’s innovation centre has shown that Keep Green can boost chlorophyll concentrations in Keep Green-treated plants by as much as 26.1% compared to untreated plants. 

This improvement in chlorophyll content translates to better photosynthetic efficiency and plant growth. Keep Green also boosts the production of carotenoids, which helps to protect chlorophyll and enhance photosynthesis.

3. Boosting the photosynthetic rate

Keep Green enhances the photochemical phase of photosynthesis by increasing electron transport rate and Rubisco activity, leading to more light energy being converted into plant sugars, thereby boosting overall growth and yield.. 

4. Reducing radiation damage

Keep Green protects plants from harmful UV radiation, reducing oxidative stress and sunscald and shielding chlorophyll molecules from damage due to excessive sunlight. This protective action enhances plant resilience, reduces crop losses, and promotes healthier plant growth.

″The unique formulation of Keep Green ensures prolonged protection against environmental stressors, which is essential for maintaining healthy and productive coffee plants,″ says Jose Marcos Leite, emphasizing the transformative impact of Keep Green in safeguarding coffee crops.

How to use Keep Green to protect the coffee crop

Using Keep Green is easy. The product is applied as a foliar application using standard spraying equipment. It is recommended for use during the summer months in when sunlight exposure is highest, and the risks to coffee plants are at their greatest. Keep Green can be used on new and established adult coffee plants. 

New Coffee Crops

For new coffee crops, Keep Green should be applied after transplanting, and the application should be repeated after 60 days. This ensures that the young plants receive adequate protection and stimulation during their critical growth phases.

Adult Coffee Crops

For adult coffee crops, 7.5 L/ha should be applied from September to January in Brazilian weather conditions. This aligns with the peak stress periods, providing the necessary protection and boost for the plants.

Unlocking the benefits of Keep Green

Keep Green offers a wide array of benefits, enhancing coffee cultivation through advanced biostimulant technology. Now, let’s explore the specific benefits that Keep Green offers to coffee cultivation.

1. Protects Coffee Plants from Sunlight Damage: Keep Green effectively shields coffee plants from the harmful effects of intense sunlight, reducing sunscald and oxidative stress.

2. Alleviates High-Temperature Stress: The biostimulant helps coffee plants cope with high temperatures, which is common in tropical regions like Brazil. This alleviation of heat stress leads to better growth and yield.

3. Improves Photosynthesis: Keep Green enhances photosynthetic rates by protecting chlorophyll molecules and improving stomatal conductance. This results in higher productivity and healthier plants.

4. Promotes Plant Health and Resilience: By optimizing overall plant health, Keep Green makes coffee plants more resilient to environmental stressors. This resilience is crucial for sustainable agriculture, ensuring consistent yields and reducing the need for chemical inputs.

5. Increases Yield: Field trials have shown a significant increase in coffee yield, with plants treated with Keep Green producing more than 8.4 bags of coffee per hectare compared to untreated plants. This yield increase represents a substantial economic benefit for coffee growers. Jose Marcos Leite emphasizes,″The field trials have shown unprecedented results, with significant yield increases and improved plant health. This is a game-changer for coffee growers.″

Future Prospects and Innovations

Keep Green’s success in coffee cultivation has prompted ongoing research into its use for other crops such as cotton, fruits, soybeans, and corn. Initial trials have shown promising results, indicating that Keep Green’s advanced biostimulant technology could provide similar benefits across a variety of agricultural applications. By extending its reach, Keep Green aims to support a broader range of farmers and crop types, enhancing productivity and sustainability in diverse farming environments.

It is a revolutionary product for coffee crops, especially in regions with high sunlight and temperature stress. Though currently tested and used primarily in Brazil, Keep Green holds potential for global application in similar climates and conditions.

Expanding Applications

Current research is exploring the use of Keep Green on various crops such as mango, citrus, soybeans, avocados, and corn. Initial trials have shown promising results, indicating the potential for broader applications of this biostimulant. This research underscores the versatility of Keep Green in improving crop health and yield beyond its original application in coffee cultivation.

ICL’s Innovative Ag Solutions

ICL is committed to the innovation and development of next-generation fertilizers and agricultural biostimulants. The company continuously invests in research to expand the applications of Keep Green and creates new products that address farmers’ evolving needs. ″We are continuously researching and developing new applications for Keep Green to benefit a wider range of crops. Our goal is to provide sustainable solutions for farmers worldwide,″ says Jose Marcos Leite, highlighting the company’s forward-thinking approach and unwavering commitment to agricultural innovation.

As a global leader in fertilizers and specialty minerals, ICL operates in over 180 countries, delivering innovative solutions to meet diverse agricultural challenges. The company’s comprehensive portfolio includes a wide range of products such as fertilizers, biostimulants, and crop protection solutions. Through sustainable innovation, ICL aims to enhance crop performance and farmer profitability while promoting environmentally friendly practices.

ICL solutions are manufactured from the best bioregulators and biofertilizers market ingredients. Committed to innovation and research, ICL conducts numerous field days and demonstration events to educate farmers about the benefits and proper usage of Keep Green. In addition, ICL provides agronomic support and personalized consultations to ensure practical application and maximize results for farmers.

Conclusion

Keep Green represents a significant advancement in coffee cultivation, offering numerous benefits such as improved plant resilience, enhanced photosynthesis, and increased yields.  One application of Keep Green lasts for several months, providing improved yields, prolonged protection, and a reduced need for frequent applications. Its unique formulation provides prolonged protection against environmental stressors, making it an invaluable tool for coffee growers.

By incorporating this innovative biostimulant into their management programs, coffee producers can enhance the health and productivity of their crops, contributing to a more sustainable and profitable agricultural future. Keep Green not only supports higher yields but also promotes a more resilient and robust coffee crop, ensuring long-term sustainability.