One pass programs. Pre and post. Sidedress. Over the top. Aerial application. Chemigation. Spot spraying. In modern production agriculture, there are countless ways to fertilize and apply inputs to your crops. Each pass has an intended response in the field. Whether that’s to control weeds, provide timely plant nutrition, improve the soil profile or manage insects and other pests, each application has a specific goal in mind. 

 

 

Secondary effects

Some applications can cause secondary responses, or “side effects,” in the field. For example, when broadcasting fertilizer, you are not only feeding the target crop, but also providing an available food source for weeds. In response to this side effect, growers spray a herbicide to manage those weeds and prevent them from siphoning fertilizer away from the crop. 

In certain cases, the herbicide can have a side effect as well, “dinging” the crop and putting an extra level of stress on its growth and development. What is a grower to do about this? How can you eliminate the unintended effects of fertilizer and chemical applications and optimize plant development? The answer lies in helping plants to help themselves by applying supplemental amino acids at each pass. 

 

 

Bringing a boost to any crop 

Amino acids are the foundational components of all living things. Plants must synthesize a continuous supply of all 20 essential amino acids to grow and develop. While each individual acid assists with certain plant processes, a well-balanced complex of supplemental amino acids can help to achieve the following: 

  • Recovery from glyphosate injury – Glyphosate controls weeds through a series of steps, causing a reduction in aromatic amino acids that are essential for plant growth. For instance, one aromatic amino acid is tryptophan, which is essential for cell division and differentiation that occurs at germination and seed development.

    In a 2012 study from the Journal of Plant Nutrition1, researchers showed that supplementing a soybean crop with additional amino acids could help to prevent injury from a glyphosate application.
  • Increase nutrient uptake and mobility – Amino acids serve as organic complexing agents, delivering micronutrients in a highly bioavailable, environmentally friendly form. These minerals can be rapidly absorbed, translocated and metabolized by plants through the leaf surface.
  • Provide additional plant-available nutrition – Amino acids in and of themselves provide nutritional value to the plant.
  • Prime the plant to deal with abiotic stressors – Through improved plant nutrition and performance, supplemental amino acids deliver durability in the face of external stressors.

 

Leading the way 

Liqui-Plex Bonder® is HELM’s product for amino acid supplementation. It is a highly consistent, concentrated formulation of 18 essential, plant-available amino acids designed to enhance the crop and mitigate stressors. 

 

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Liqui-Plex Bonder is a yield increaser and yield protector. To increase yield, Liqui-Plex Bonder enhances photosynthetic activity and nutrient use efficiency. To protect yield, it primes the plant to react better to environmental and abiotic stressors. 

 

Put your crop to work 

Supplemental amino acids help the plant to help itself by helping to make your crop more resilient, durable and productive. This season, make each product you apply more effective by priming the plant for primary and secondary effects with Liqui-Plex Bonder. 

 

To learn more about how Liqui-Plex Bonder can work for your operation, check out the resources below: 

HELM Rep Finder – Use this tool to locate your nearest HELM representative. We also recommend reaching out to your local retailers. 

Online Learning Module – Our Crop Development and amino acids online learning module is a great source of information on foundational concepts of plant physiology, the role amino acids play in plant development and in-depth application info. The module takes about 30 minutes to complete and offers 0.5 CEU credits for Certified Crop Advisers. 

Liqui-Plex Bonder Website – This web page is comprehensive, with all the latest resources and information for Liqui-Plex Bonder. 

 

1Luiz Henrique Saes Zobiole, Rubem Silvério de Oliveira Junior, Jamil Constantin, Robert John Kremer & Denis Fernando Biffe (2012) AMINO ACID APPLICATION CAN BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO PREVENT GLYPHOSATE INJURY IN GLYPHOSATE-RESISTANT SOYBEANS, Journal of Plant Nutrition, 35:2, 268-287, DOI: 10.1080/01904167.2012.636130