University of Wyoming conducts trials By Mick Lane

Researchers are continually looking at new production practices and products to help growers increase sugar beet yields and profits. So Jack Cecil, superintendent of the University of Wyoming’s Towington Research and Extension Center, Torrington, WY, took it in stride when approached by Ron Johanson, North Platte, NE, crop consultant last year with a request to look at three products Johanson was recommending for some of his clients. The products Johanson asked Cecil to study could be considered "non-traditional,"in the sense that they’re not widely used and are mostly natural or biological. And, too, they’ve not been widely studied by independent researchers. Yet, Johanson felt he had seen benefits when using them in his own plots and wanted to have some one with an independent point of view either collaborate or disprove his findings. We put out some small, replicated trials on the farm, just to give us an indication of what these three products could do for sugar beets," Cecil says. These products are: T-22, a biological fungicide whose active ingredient is a hybrid fungus (Trichoderma harzianum, strain T22). B-31, a macro-nutrient solution manufactured by CSA Inc., Bentonville, AR. The solution is based on food-grade nutrients, much like a few other liquid fertilizers. Advantage, a soil surfactant that improves water infiltration and reduces the effects of crusting. Advantage is produced by the Wilbur-Ellis Co. T-22 BIOLOGICALT-22 was developed in a special microbiology breeding program at Cornell University. It is manufactured by BioWorks Inc., a relatively new company started three years ago for the express purpose of manufacturing and marketing biological crop-protection products. T-22 is particularly effective in preventing root damage due to infestations from Rhizoctonia, Fusariumand Pythium. B-31 NUTRIENTS B-31 is a concentrated macro-nutrient solution, containing sulfur, a seaweed extract, and a refined calcium molecule, according to the label. It is formulated for use on all agricultural crops and can be added to broadcast pre-plantfertilizer, used with row starters oradded to foliar fertilizers. The difference between check strips and those treated with T-22, B-31 or Advantage is an increase in both yield and tonnage.

Johanson says many growers have reported successfully using as much as 30 percent less nitrogen than usual when they’ve used B-31. In each case, we saw a significant increase in both total tonnage produced and marketed. In comparison with the control, the T-22-treated beets yielded about 25 percent more, larger-sized beets. The B-31-treated beets yielded 24.2 percent more than the control, suggesting the fertilizer was used more efficiently than the commercial fertilizer used on the control plot. The Advantage-treated beets also boosted tonnage by 24.2 percent over the control. The seaweed extract supplies organic acids and a number of carbohydrates including manitol. Johnanson says this is known to be a chelating agent which appears to release some nutrients already in the soil, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus.

ADVANTAGE SURFACTANT
Advantage is a soil surfactant. When applied to the soil, it is said to reduce surface tension between water molecules. The theory is this will help water droplets to infiltrate rather than run off soil, and then to be held in the soil solution longer for plant use. "I’ve always been interested in natural products, and particularly in those that reduce the risk to the environment and the producer. Some of my clients have used Advantage and B-31 for several years," Johanson tells. "T-22 just became available to us in a limited quantity two years ago. Since then, I’ve been putting out my own research trials in various crops, from alfalfa to corn and dry beans,to see whether it has any benefit in our area."Some of Johanson’s clients have used just one of the products and others have used two or all three. "Each works in a Research Review soil retain the limited amount of moisture the fields received."The trials were on such a small scale,and were from one location in one year,that we don’t feel we can make any recommendations from them," Cecil says. "But because of the apparent benefit, we will definitely be looking at these products again next year in larger plots and in more locations." After we looked at each product individually, we realized we should have put out additional plots where we used two or all three of them together. That’s definitely something we’ll be doing next year." Cecil says growers who are considering using any of these products should put out some side-by-side comparisons. "Often, we’ve found something that looks good in one year but doesn’t shine so bright after several years of study," he says.

GOODRESULTS
We had better results with T-22 than we anticipated. While it is a fungicide, it does little to help establish the initial stand. So without something to protect the seed from rots and early damping off, we had less of a stand than we would have liked. "The T-22 fungus survives on substances given off by the growing root. It develops a protective colony around the root and aggressively tights off any organism that threatens its food supply." So once the stand was established, the T-22 effectively colonized most of the beet roots. The result was a lot less root rot and a much healthier root and plant than we saw in the control plots," says Johanson, who inspected the plots routinely throughout the growing season. Cecil says a product that can help protect roots from soil-borne fungal diseases deserves consideration by growers. "We’re seeing a lot more root disease in crops," he says. "We’re farming more land with bigger equipment and trying to cover it all with less time. By the time we see a problem in one area, we’ve probably already spread it throughout the field and may have even carried it to other fields on tillage and planting equipment. These diseases really spread in root crops like sugarbeets and potatoes," he believes. "There are varieties that are more resistant than others, but some of the older less resistant varieties still give us the highest tonnage and sugar content. "If we can establish reasonable stands and protect them from soil diseases, we can harvest higher yields of more uniform-sized beets," he says. Johanson and Cecil both suggest growers interested in trying these or similar products first check with their local extension agronomist, company fieldman, or crop consultant for information and research that suggest benefits and best ways to use them. "And always check for compatibility with other products you may be using," Johanson adds. "If you’re still interested in the product after reviewing available information, I’d recommend you set upon-farm replicated trials to look for benefits in your own operation," Cecil concludes.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Lane is a contributing editor from the University of Wyoming research department.)