Microbes at Work: Biological Modes of Action in Your Soil

Your soil is alive with a diverse population of bacteria and fungi. In soils that have historically received the ‘conventional’ agriculture treatment, these populations can struggle to survive and fall out of balance with their established ecosystem. Over time, this can result in yield reduction and increased presence of weeds and pathogens. Maintaining or re-establishing this biological balance can help crops thrive in their natural environments. Looking at the modes of biological action that act as protection for your plants, we see a myriad of benefits provided by encouraging those natural processes.

Competitive Exclusion

One organism creates an unwelcoming environment for another, effectively excluding the second organism from becoming established without directly killing it. Diverse microbes that form a beneficial relationship with your crop will overtake resource possession in your soil, denying pathogens the ability to become established. An example of this would be creating a film on a root surface to prevent pathogens from infecting the plant.  

Production of Natural Antibiotics

The secondary metabolites that contribute to plant health and nutrient density.

Bio-Sanitation

Some microbes (gram-positive bacteria) consume pathogens (like botrytis and anthracnose) as a food source as seen on leaf surfaces and orchard floors.

Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR)

Stimulating plant response to disease pressure before actual diseases are detected. This results in strengthened plant defenses, helping prevent the onset of actual disease when it is imminent.

BIOACTIVE™ LiquiLife (formerly CX-1) are a proactive/protective approach to plant health, not curative. Timing and observational horticulture can help reduce the rates and frequency of fungicide applications; over time, in some cases, this process may allow the grower to get through the season without using biocides.

The Path You’re On Without Good Biology:

Without a good microbial habitat, you lose the soil particle aggregation microbes provide.

Diminished soil structure decreases soil respiration and oxygen availability for seeds and plants. This results in reduced seed/soil contact, seed hydration, and reduced germination rates in the spring.

Diminished aggregation reduces water infiltration and water holding capacity.  This takes much of the resilience out of the farming system.

Over time, and without a good habitat for biology, the microbes you count on to mineralize, solubilize, fix, chelate, protect, and actively deliver macro and micronutrients to your crops no longer function well in your soil.

As this downward trend continues, farmers become more reliant on purchased fertilizers and the next more expensive generation of crop protection inputs.

BIOACTIVE™ Builds Resiliency

Here are a few field observations of our customers utilizing BIOACTIVE™ and noticing improvements in crop resiliency.

• A Florida agronomist - “Black rot (bacterial infection) is taking down fields of broccoli, bactericides are not working. About the only broccoli being harvested are fields with LiquiLife+ incorporated into the program. A farm using LiquiLife+ reported that black rot was still present, but now manageable, and harvested approximately 80% of the crop at one time, exceptional for broccoli. Sizing was highly desirable and uniform, with 500-600 boxes per acre headed to market.”

• White mold on Dry Beans – “All around us mold was breaking out, a consultant said there was no way to avoid it in our fields—we did thanks to biology” (LiquiLife and Liquid Supercharger).

• Amish group Veggies - “It was a pretty good year, but there were lots of late season disease pressures because of the hot wet conditions. Everybody saw it except the guys using liquid biologicals” (LiquiLife)

• East coast greenhouse - “Botrytis Oh my Gosh, using LiquiLife (formerly CX-1) almost completely eliminated it in our greenhouse.” (LiquiLife)

• Organic apple grower - “I have been working on the Orchard floor for 3 years now, I feel like I have eliminated scab from my operation.”  (LiquiLife, Liquid Supercharger, plus other biologicals)

• “LiquiLife (formerly CX-1) on my Squash didn’t eliminate the fall onset of Powdery Mildew, but it did delay it for a couple of weeks, this meant 15% overall revenue increase for me.” (LiquiLife and Liquid Supercharger)

• Pete Creguer - long-time farmer and industry professional. In very wet 2018, when everyone else in his area saw 12%-15% vomitoxin levels in Corn, he experienced 1%-2% vomitoxin levels in his corn crop. “I just don’t have the same fusarium blight issues in my wheat” (as his neighbors).

• Hemp growers in Michigan - “Me and Dr. Matt were the only two to use LiquiLife as a foliar…we were the only ones to pass the mold test”.

Disease is a constant battle in greenhouses, where cultivating the perfect conditions for plants can also mean that pathogens are given the ideal home. While not a fungicide, BIOACTIVE™ LiquiLife has proven with many growers to be a key driver for crop resiliency. Relying on various modes of action supplied by diverse microbiology can improve your ability to combat and resist disease. A broad-spectrum biological will not cure your plants, but can lead to a more successful season of fighting off these common issues.

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