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Summer is a critical juncture at farms across the country. As growers meticulously steward their crops to the finish line, there are steps they can take to help ensure strong yields and returns on investment.
Mainstay™ Si boosts many crops in several ways, including strengthening cell walls, which lead to stronger plants, higher soluble solids, better firmness of the crop and increased shelf life. Additional benefits include increased antioxidant production and better defense against heat stress.
“Now is the time when the applications of Mainstay™ Si help with yield and quality,” said Redox Bio-Nutrients Corporate Agronomist, John Kelly. “These benefits go beyond crop quality to include better drought tolerance and better moisture utilization. In addition, new leaves that are formed tend to be about 20 percent thicker, which means you have better photosynthetic potential in those leaves.”
Here are updates from our agronomists in the field:
The following trend is true for a lot of crops in my territory – the better you can get them up and going, the better they finish on the back end.
My top priority right now is setting up the growers I work with for a strong finish. We’ve basically done everything we could, in terms of optimizing nutrients going through vegetative growth stages. The transition into reproduction and reproductive growth is paramount in how we manage these plants going forward.
Potato foliar applications of Mainstay™ Si are just starting, which will strengthen the plants.
For sugar beets utilizing this product, we’re already seeing benefits, in terms of leaf thickness and a glossy sheen on leaves, indicating strong health.
Corn crops are in their growth stage and early signs are that Mainstay™ Si is helping the plants along.
After a sluggish start for many in my territory due to cold, wet conditions, the growing season of late has been nearly ideal, with warm days and cool nights. The expected hot temperatures associated with the season bear watching.
For example, you’ll watch a potato leaf just kind of lay there, instead of being perked up on the stem. It’s an indication that the plant is suffering from heat stress. One of the benefits of Mainstay™ Si is it helps plants through hot spells.
Soybeans are in an early reproductive stage in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Flowers and pods are starting to form. The R3 growth stage is a critical juncture and requires that growers adjust to changing nutritional needs of the plant.
A key is trying to keep the soybeans staying as green as possible for as long as possible, which helps with bean sizing.
At this growth stage, incorporating Mainstay™ Si at 1 pint per acre provides silicon and calcium nutrition that are both pertinent. Combine that with Supreme™ at 1 pint to 24-ounces per acre, and you have aided the plant in nitrogen metabolism and helping set the bean pods, so there will be good nutritional focus.
Studies consistently indicate that this approach leads to a 6 to 8 bushel increase in yields, which provides a significant return on investment for the grower.
If growers made initial applications of Mainstay™ Si and Supreme™, their pod sets and blossom support will be really good. It’s going to be important for those growers to have nutritional supplementation later when pod fill starts, because they’re going to have a lot more pods on the bean plant, which will require stepping up their nutrition. That’s where diKaP™, TriPlex™ Micro and OXYCOM® Calcium will help finish off that crop in a favorable way.
Questions? Want to know more about Mainstay™ Si Makes a Significant Difference for Many Crops?
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