Tag Archive for: Biostimulants

Two ICL biostimulants prove better than one

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Two ICL biostimulants prove better than one: An ICL trial at St Andrews Links demonstrated that tank-mixing Vitalnova SMX with an H2Pro TriSmart programme significantly enhanced golf green turf quality and rootzone health, surpassing the improvements achieved by using TriSmart alone.

A trial conducted at St Andrews Links in 2022 illustrated the advantages of combining two proven technologies. Tank-mixing the seaweed biostimulant Vitalnova SMX with the non-microbial biostimulant surfactant H2Pro TriSmart programme yielded significant additional benefits. This research emphasised the capacity of the combined treatments to improve turf health, particularly during dry summer months.

Two ICL biostimulants prove better than one

Two ICL biostimulants prove better than one

The trial, employing a randomised, replicated, block design, was conducted on a Fescue-dominant golf green turf nursery underlain by a sandy rootzone. The study aimed to assess the benefits of incorporating Vitalnova SMX, a liquid biostimulant containing 10% Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed solids, into a TriSmart wetting agent programme (a product that also boasts proven biostimulant properties).

In the trial, plots treated only with TriSmart and untreated plots served as bases for statistical comparison. The trial was assessed every 2-3 weeks for turf quality, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and soil moisture content at two depths (38mm and 76mm). At the trial’s conclusion, soil samples were analysed for rootzone microbial content.

Over the course of seven monthly applications from March until August, the assessment results revealed that the H2Pro TriSmart-only programme significantly increased volumetric moisture content (VMC) at both depths, as well as achieving improvements in Turf Quality and NDVI compared to the untreated plots. Most notably, the addition of Vitalnova SMX to the H2Pro TriSmart programme further enhanced Turf Quality Scores, both early and late in the season, surpassing results from the TriSmart-only treatments.

In terms of rootzone microbial analysis, the TriSmart-only treated plots contained significantly greater total bacteria, total fungi, and total microbial biomass than the untreated control plots. The combination of TriSmart and SMX significantly increased microbial biomass and total fungi beyond the already enhanced TriSmart-only results.

Key findings from the trial include:

  • The H2Pro TriSmart-only programme resulted in a significant increase in Turf Quality, % VMC (to 38mm and 76mm), and NDVI.
  • Tank-mixing Vitalnova SMX with H2Pro TriSmart significantly boosted Turf Quality Score beyond that achieved with H2Pro TriSmart alone (but did not affect the % VMC).
  • Applications of H2Pro TriSmart and Vitalnova SMX combined also resulted in a notable increase in total fungi and total microbial biomass in the rootzone.

“Our primary objective was to demonstrate the efficacy of H2Pro TriSmart in managing soil moisture levels and reducing turf stress, and to explore how Vitalnova SMX could further enhance these benefits,” stated Dr Richard Collins, ICL’s International Technical Manager for Amega Sciences. “The results clearly demonstrate the advantages of integrating these products into a turf management programme, offering significant improvements in turf quality and rootzone health.”

Richard concluded, “This trial not only underscores the potential of these treatments to improve turf performance during critical stress periods but also opens avenues for further research into sustainable turf management practices.”

Discover a wealth of information on this and other insightful ICL trials by visiting the dedicated page on the ICL website.

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-growingsolutions.uk and icl-growingsolutions.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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Hicure launch sees biostimulants building

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Hicure launch sees biostimulants building: Hicure is set to be a key building block of future turf agronomy programmes, according to Syngenta Technical Manager, Glenn Kirby.

Speaking at the Hicure on-line launch event, he said: “The potential of biostimulants is immense. Some of the things we’ve seen during glasshouse research – by way of turf rooting, drought tolerance, colour and recovery, for example – have been really impressive.

Hicure launch sees biostimulants building

Hicure launch sees biostimulants building

“In practice differences are more subtle, but get things right and fine-tune the timings, then you could see some big differences,” he reported. “We’re beginning to unlock the potential through really deep research.”

Glenn highlighted over five years research with Hicure has given valuable insights into the product and how to use it to best effect. Key to its success is not just its high level of amino acids, but the fact that a high proportion is immediately available to turf plants to counter stress effects.

“Amino acids are like building blocks that the plant can use to build the structures it requires. It does that by joining individual amino acids into peptides, and then linking multiple peptides together into ever longer complex chains used to create specific proteins.

Hicure contains 10% of raw amino acids, along with 53% as short chain peptides that can be absorbed through the leaf and rapidly utilised by plants.

“Unlike other amino acid sources, Hicure contains 18 individual types of amino acids that are of most use to plants to build the proteins required to stop stress effects.” All amino acids contain a nitrogen molecule, which is a crucial element as an organic N source to provide plant cells with energy to build proteins – particularly when stress adversely affects photosynthetic capability.

Most other amino acid biostimulants are predominantly made up of long-chain peptides, which are typically slow to be utilised and as the need to be broken down by the soil before they can be absorbed by the plant.

“Understanding the function of amino acids and how they are used in the plant’s physiology is crucial in targeting and timing their use.

“With Hicure, we’ve seen real benefits building from targeting foliar applications close to the onset of stress periods for rapid uptake into the plant,” he advised.

With an application rate of 20 l/ha per month over the summer period, that may be split into two, three or even four treatments, in combination with a Primo Maxx II PGR or foliar nutrition programme, for example, he cited. Excellent results had also been seen in tank mix with fungicides.

“With a wide range of stresses in the summer months, including the onset of drought, light and heat a programmed approach is effective to give turf coverage over a prolonged period of potential stress events,” he advocated. “But we are also doing more research and trials into forecasting stress effects and the fine tuning of Hicure timing to optimise applications.”

That includes countering a wide range of abiotic stress effects where plants can build specific protein responses. Whilst there is no direct effect of Hicure on disease pathogens that cause biotic stress, trials have shown that alleviating turf plants’ abiotic stress factors can help put the turf plant in a better position to tolerate biotic stresses, including impacts of anthracnose and microdochium patch.

“Building Hicure into the agronomy programme can add up to make incremental gains with all the products’ applications,” he added. “That’s ever more important to cope with increasing climatic and management stresses imposed on turf every season.”

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New Biostimulants For Turf Health Management

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New Biostimulants For Turf Health Management: From establishment to recovery, a full season approach to turf health management is now on offer, following the launch of two new biostimulant products by Arysta LifeScience.

Tonivit® and Double Edge® join existing product Goemar Turf® to form a triple pronged approach to turf management, offering bespoke solutions for three different stages of sward development.

New Biostimulants For Turf Health Management

Technical Support for Arysta LifeScience UK & Ireland, Stephen Olive, said: “Together, these three products complement each other as a programme, but also individually offer solutions for specific uses through the season, whether that’s establishing newly seed turf, improving overall health status, or boosting recovery following high traffic activity.

“Manufactured to the same standard as our traditional crop protection products, our biostimulants are highly concentrated thanks to the development of a refined cold-press extraction process at our manufacturing plant in St. Malo, France. This means the application rate for all three products is between just 1 and 3L/ha.”

Aimed at the establishment of turf is Tonivit – a new biostimulant formulated from natural GA142 seaweed extract with added P & K. It activates root growth, root activity & tillering to quickly establish a stronger sward for newly seeded or re-seeded areas.

The effect of Tonivit on emergence speed is demonstrated through trials, which have shown that newly sown leys treated with the product reach 70% sward density three weeks earlier than those untreated.

Central to the range is existing product Goemar Turf, formulated from GA142 with added MgO, Cu & N. Goemar Turf improves the overall health and maintenance of turf, particularly for areas of aesthetic value such as golf courses. It can also help to prepare grasses for environmental stresses such as drier conditions throughout summer.

Completing the set is Double Edge. Double Edge is aimed at turf recovery, and uniquely combines two complementary biostimulants to further boost root growth and improve stress relief. Double Edge features 18 different vegetable amino acids along with GA142, N, P & K.

Stephen added: “We recognise that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not necessarily best for biostimulant products in the amenity turf sector.

“Following the success of Goemar Turf, which is used at some of the top golf courses in the world, we wanted to develop our portfolio further to create targeted solutions that address some of the main problems that greenkeepers and groundsmen face.

“Biostimulants are an important part of an integrated approach to turf protection, demonstrating a commitment to the sustainability agenda. We are proud to offer these three innovative products to the amenity turf sector.”

All three products were showcased at BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition in Harrogate last month.

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