November 2020 - 9

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Holistic is the new normal
Today's progressive growers take a holistic
approach to crop and plant health, a
concept that's not as wacky as you might
think. David Booty, Technical Development
Manager for OMEX®
Agrifluids, explains to
VGN readers.
Our understanding of plant and crop health
has advanced in leaps and bounds in recent
decades. We've responded to changing
regulations and embraced new chemistry
that's light years ahead, not only in
efficiency but also its use, bringing benefits
for operators and the environment alike.
Today's fungicides and herbicides work
at fractions of an ounce per acre, rather
than rates measured in pounds. Active
ingredients face ever more stringent tests,
ensuring only the best products reach the
marketplace.
We also see plant protection products
differently. No longer are they a fall back
when something goes wrong; instead,
integrated crop management plans specify
how and when to use products, responsibly
and sparingly, resulting in healthy, highyielding
and profitable crops.
While growers may bemoan the loss or
restricted use of familiar active ingredients,
it's a fabulous opportunity to improve
good agricultural practice. In most cases,
products are withdrawn only because a real
risk - to human health or environmental
protection - has been identified.
Another problem with modern crop
protection chemistry is specificity:
the precision, single-site activity that
allows such sparing application means
growers enjoy only a short period of high
efficiency before the pathogen or pest
develops resistance. That's a problem for
manufacturers too: bringing new products
to markets is costly, but manufacturers
recoup their investment over a product's
lifecycle. If that lifecycle is compressed,
research and development teams are less
incentivized to develop further products.
What can we do to solve this problem
together? Why does a holistic approach
make sense? It's an idea that's more
compelling still when considering the
parallel with human health, where the value
and significance of a well-balanced diet is in
no doubt. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables,
reduce intake of highly processed foods,
access vitamins and minerals, and so on.
Nowhere has that become more evident
than in the current health crisis, where
COVID-19 cases are being reported as more
severe and more pronounced in those who
lack a good diet or are otherwise unhealthy.
That's because pathogens take advantage of
every weakness they can find.
In plants too. For example, it's established
as fact that manganese-deficient wheat
presents an easier target for the pathogen
causing take-all. In this and other situations,
the more holistic approach, crop nutrition
included, can reduce or avoid altogether a
pesticide application.
It's invaluable when products carry everstricter
harvest intervals, yet the diseases
or other conditions they tackle often occur
during the ripening or immediate preharvest
period. Tackle the source of the
problem, prevent its occurrence. Don't just
try to resolve the effects.
Growers must first establish a crop's
need: soil, leaf and tissue analysis. Then
map out what different crops need at key
development stages. For instance, early root
stimulation demands phosphorus, while
calcium is essential in fruit ripening. The
crucial next stage is to consider whether
the plant can access the nutrients deemed
necessary.
Glasshouse crops, for example, are subject
to regular temperature stress, affecting
their ability to absorb nutrients. Another
consideration is that plant roots are nonselective
in take-up; they absorb what's
available, making timing crucial.
Here at OMEX®, we've been following the
same innovative path as our crop protection
colleagues: finding ways to do more with less.
Our SizeN®
technology relies on stabilized
amine nitrogen. Because it's less susceptible to
volatilization, plants make better use of what's
applied. Likewise, fruit growers who have
become used to bulk applying calcium chloride
can't believe that Cell Power®
Calcium Gold,
with its LoCal mechanism triggering the cell's
own uptake apparatus, delivers better, more
consistent results with a fraction of the amount.
We're fully focused on the value of foliar
applications: leaves are a better 'receptacle'
for fertilizers. They have an active metabolism,
we can leverage adjuvants, we can vary
application timing to target open stomata.
What's also interesting is how other products,
such as Zynergy, can create - as the name
suggests - a synergistic effect between
foliar nutrition and crop protection. We've
observed how nutrition can effectively 'prime'
the plant to better respond to pathogenic
attack, allowing growers to use a lower rate of
fungicide yet maintaining an equivalent or even
improved level of protection.
Thinking holistically is not about wholesale
replacement of plant protection chemistry;
instead, it's about reducing our dependence
on it and extending the usefulness of the
shrinking number of actives we have available.
The more quickly we can all adopt this thinking,
the more benefit we'll extract from it.
Learn more at www.omexusa.com.
The product names and brands referenced
here are registered and trademarks of OMEX®
Agrifluids, Inc. © OMEX®
Agrifluids, Inc. 2020.
Call 559-661-6138
Visit www.omexusa.com
Email omexusa@omex.com
VGN | NOVEMBER 2020 | 9
http://www.omexusa.com http://www.omexusa.com

November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2020

November 2020 - 1
November 2020 - 2
November 2020 - 3
November 2020 - 4
November 2020 - 5
November 2020 - 6
November 2020 - 7
November 2020 - 8
November 2020 - 9
November 2020 - 10
November 2020 - 11
November 2020 - 12
November 2020 - 13
November 2020 - 14
November 2020 - 15
November 2020 - 16
November 2020 - 17
November 2020 - 18
November 2020 - 19
November 2020 - 20
November 2020 - 21
November 2020 - 22
November 2020 - 23
November 2020 - 24
November 2020 - 25
November 2020 - 26
November 2020 - 27
November 2020 - 28
November 2020 - 29
November 2020 - 30
November 2020 - 31
November 2020 - 32
November 2020 - 33
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November 2020 - 40
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-2025-digital-seed-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com