On an overcast morning, George Hupman looks out over his soybeans and talks about how, as a kid, he looked out over the same field and could see three sets of hills in the distance. Now you can only see one. You can’t tell him that things haven’t changed.

Since graduating from the University of Kentucky and beginning his own farming career in Loretto, Kentucky, Hupman has seen 41 years of crops. In that time, the years have been filled with successes and failures, both of which have taught him invaluable lessons and paved the way for experimentation on his fields.

Hupman takes an objective approach to his crop maintenance.

“Basically, I try something and see if it works,” he said. “I’ll put it to the test, and I don’t know that I can be any fairer than that.”

Using strip trials, soil sampling and yield monitoring, he is able to get a clear picture of how effective a treatment is on his fields.

A move to no-till farming

The norm when Hupman began farming was to use a long-term crop rotation, in which a grower would plant crops for two years followed by two to four years of using the same field for pasture or hay before returning to crops and continuing the cycle.

Advancements in fertilizers and pesticides made it possible to crop annually on the same fields. In 1983, Hupman went no-till.

Improving soil conditions with a more natural farming approach

“If you work the soil, you destroy the biology, you destroy everything, and that’s the whole secret to soil: that biology,” he said.

In the first few years, Hupman put an emphasis on fertilizers to get his soil back in order and to build up the micronutrient levels. Searching for ways to improve his soil biology has led Hupman to look for more natural options in his crop inputs.

“I would much rather put a natural type of product on the soil or crop than pesticides,” he said. “We’ve got to put more work into natural products and natural ways of controlling things. Eventually, all these pesticides are going to catch up with us.”

Since taking this more natural farming approach, Hupman has found that he has needed to use less fungicide and herbicide.

Through the years, Hupman has also used various types of cover crops to help reestablish the soil biology. Currently, he has switched from a purely ryegrass cover crop to a mixture of several winter crops, including winter peas and buckwheat.

When asked if he had any advice for the future generations of growers, Hupman offered these simple yet poignant words: “If we’re going to have a sustainable agriculture in this country, we need to protect and rebuild our soils.”

While North America prepares to hunker down for the winter, December marks the beginning of the cotton planting season in Mato Grosso, a state in the western region of Brazil that is the country’s main producer of the crop.

The area faces several challenges due to weather, soil quality and pests, such as the boll weevil. Nutritional management during plant development is therefore essential in aiding the grower to obtain good results at harvest. In Mato Grosso, growers who are using amino acid-based solutions are already seeing healthier cotton crops that are expected to result in yield increases.

Cotton is a very demanding crop, requiring careful management throughout the growing cycle in order to ensure boll set, which directly reflects productivity potential. Poor soil and nutrient deficiencies can quickly affect yield potential if not corrected.

Benefits of amino acid technology for crops, such as cotton

“Amino acids facilitate the uptake of micronutrients such as boron and manganese, resulting in improved development, nutrition and fill,” explains Brazilian cotton consultant Thiago Ferreira Gomes.

Gomes notes that the nature of amino acids allows for easier nutrient absorption by the cotton plant without an increase in stress.

Similar challenges to those facing Mato Grosso can be found in Texas and Georgia as well as other cotton-growing areas of North America, where successful yields are also being reached through proper management and nutrition.

“Using amino acid technology reduces environmental stress and increases plant health, which can result in increased yields and profitability,” says Carly Borel, Alltech Crop Science business development manager.

Recent wheat research at the University of Kentucky also demonstrated the benefits of amino acid technology.

Amino acids — the basic building blocks of every organism — are important for plant growth, development and metabolism. Plants must synthesize amino acids in order to grow, develop and perform all routine metabolic functions.

While animals must obtain amino acids through their diets, plants can synthesize their own. However, in order to conduct this process in the most efficient manner, plants must have an adequate and continuous supply of beneficial nutrients. Water and sunlight availability are also key in order for plants to perform these functions.

Building from a strong technology base

As a leader in chelation technology for animals, Alltech is now applying the same technology principles to plants for the benefit of crop producers. Alltech Crop Science has focused on the principles of complexing to support and improve plant nutrient uptake.

How? The inherent complexing nature of amino acids is used to deliver a balanced source of essential nutrients in a uniquely bioavailable form.

Improving efficiency through precision application

“With foliar-applied micronutrients, complexed minerals are easily and quickly absorbed and their uptake is optimized,” said Nicolas Body, agronomist and European technical manager for Alltech Crop Science.

This can aid in production efficiency.

“There is basically zero waste,” added Body. “Rapid absorption by leaves, combined with targeted application, can provide plants with immediate access to essential nutrients.”

Plant-based solutions for a sustainable future

Alltech has the ability to “grow” these natural microorganisms at company facilities for amino acid extraction. In fact, 18 of 20 amino acids can be extracted from yeast, which is Alltech’s core competency. With one of the largest yeast facilities in the world, Alltech has a bountiful supply of raw materials utilized for the production and extraction of these naturally occurring amino acids.

“We are finding in nature the tools to help producers with nutrient management as well as crop protection and performance,” said Body. “Today, it is now possible to use natural organic acids to do the job of synthetic chemicals.”

This technology will help growers and consumers promote environmental sustainability without compromising quality and yield. Maintaining plant health through proper nutrition can reduce the need for synthetic inputs that can cause consumer concerns and pose environmental risks.

The following essential plant micronutrients have successfully been complexed with amino acid technology and can promote efficiency with each of the following functions:

Copper: Essential for chlorophyll formation and reactions involved in photosynthesis. Sandy, high-pH soils are most prone to copper deficiency.

Manganese: Aids in germination, maturity and availability of other nutrients. Waterlogged, high-pH organic soils are most prone to manganese deficiency. Herbicide stress is also a common contributing factor to manganese deficiency.

Zinc: Essential for growth, zinc plays a role in building growth hormones and in photosynthesis. Zinc deficiency is common with cool, wet weather and appears as stunted growth and shortening of internodes.

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Bananas are a billion-dollar industry in Costa Rica. The much-loved fruit is the country’s fourth-ranked export at $1.38 billion in value, with approximately 115 million boxes of bananas sold annually to the U.S. and Europe.

But among the banana trees, there is a dark battle underway. Black sigatoka and other diseases threaten to annihilate the banana industry and the very livelihood of an estimated 10 percent of Costa Rica’s workforce.

Small farm plantations have been forced to cease their operations as black sigatoka has wreaked its havoc, decreasing yields by 50 percent and driving production costs up by 25 percent.

Much like a real war, local residents have become used to the drone of planes flying overhead. In this case, the weapon of war is fungicide applications, which, according to Kyle McKinney, crop science development manager for Alltech in Costa Rica, took place 60–70 times in 2015 in a valiant attempt to keep black sigatoka at bay. To put this in perspective, there were approximately only five to seven fungicide applications in 2010.

Enlisting nature’s help in bananas' battle against black sigatoka

In 2015, Alltech constructed a lab in Costa Rica dedicated to the battle for bananas. Calling upon their expertise in microbiology, Alltech scientists “enlisted the help of friends called microbes,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech.

This natural deployment of microbial technology appears to be having an effect on inhibiting the growth of Mycosphaerella fijiensis, otherwise known as black sigatoka.

Field trials in Costa Rica have been underway, alternating weekly microbial treatments with conventional fungicides. After two years, the project has expanded to 12 growers representing over 5,000 acres and over 1.5 million boxes of bananas destined for both the foreign and domestic market.

McKinney expects the program to expand its reach to other growers.

“The Alltech Crop Science program has decreased chemical pesticide treatments by 20% while maintaining equivalent disease control, at similar costs, making it a viable and sustainable option for the grower,” said McKinney.

McKinney noted that Alltech plans to stay the course in Costa Rica. In addition to its recently constructed lab and installation of fermentation equipment, Alltech is supporting an employee’s Ph.D. studies in Costa Rica to begin a project focused on disease control through microbial technologies.

Agronomist Dalynn Ramsay describes some of the recent remarkable results seen in crops treated with Alltech Crop Science.