Brought to you by Limagrain
'Soil organisms essential for plant growth'
After more than 25 years of research into plant roots, it is clear that plants have an intensive interaction with micro-organisms in the soil. Now that we understand what is happening better and better, we can make good use of this in agriculture and horticulture.
In 1991 it was discovered that plants stimulate certain micro-organisms in the soil that strengthen the plant's defense system. We continued to investigate exactly how this works, because we saw a promising alternative for chemical crop protection.
Fruitful cooperation
Each gram of soil contains more than 1 billion microorganisms. The composition of the plant roots is completely different from elsewhere. Thus, the plant actively selects by feeding the beneficial organisms and inhibiting the growth of unwanted organisms. In return, the micro-organisms release nutrients, stimulate the plant's immune system and fight harmful fungi and bacteria.
In nature, plants create an optimal soil composition, but that is not possible in agriculture. In the past, fertilization and chemical crop protection compensated a lot, but in the future this will be much less possible. An active, healthy soil life is now much needed for good crop yields.
Head Start
Adding benign micro-organisms to seed is not a panacea, but it does help. If you bring the selection of useful organisms to the plant roots, the plant does not have to look for it itself. This gives the plant a head start, which means that it can react much faster to infections, for example, and suffer less damage from it.
Source: Limagrain Netherlands and Corné Pieterse, professor of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Utrecht University.
New: Biostimulating seed coating Starcover
The maize seed coating Starcover is based on this interaction. A combination of natural plant polymer and live Rhizobium bacteria ensures a smooth start, more intense root growth and considerably more fine hair roots. Starcover is the preferred alternative to chemical seed disinfectants. Read more about Starcover here.
