Consumers have certain expectations of how a tomato should look and taste when it reaches their table. Producers know all too well, however, the variables inherent in farming that are at odds with standardization of the final product.

During the growth cycle, the flower setting and fruit standardization stages are essential to meet the desired aspects of color, size and flavor. These periods, which determine productivity and fruit classification, can be a challenge for producers since the plants are constantly subjected to stressors, such as adverse environmental conditions, which can compromise crop development.

An ally in crop development: Hormonal precursors

According to agronomist Marcos Revoredo, technical manager for Alltech Crop Science in Brazil who specializes in intensive crops, hormonal precursors may be an ally in minimizing the physiological stress on the plants.

“By applying these precursors as a substitute to a pre-mixed combination of hormones, it is possible to stimulate the plant to produce its own hormonal balance in the precise quantities needed to meet the plant’s demands at that exact moment,” he explains.

In response to this natural hormonal balance, “the plant will have a better redistribution of nutrients to flowers and fruits, increasing production. It also allows for more balanced plant growth and, in the following stages of fruit development, increases standardization of size,” says Revoredo.

Profitability through uniformity

In Araguari, Minas Gerais, Brazil, producer Edson Trebeschi emphasizes the importance of care in the standardization of the size of the tomatoes.

“If you have a fruit that is higher in quality and uniform in size, it results in greater profitability down the road,” says Trebeschi.

For this reason, Trebeschi has been increasing his implementation of more sustainable production practices, working preventively to improve plant resistance.

Additional considerations for top tomato crops

Revoredo also notes that besides the use of natural solutions based on hormonal precursors, such as plant extracts, minerals and amino acids that promote the reduction of the effects of stressors and improve the vigor of the plants, important factors in reaching good results in tomato crops include soil preparation, disease and pest management, adequate irrigation and nutritional maintenance.

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If you take a walk down the aisle of any grocery store, you will find hundreds of items with labels touting the “natural” aspects of products. While these labels can sometimes be little more than a marketing ploy, it does give an indication that consumers are looking for more natural consumables and that growers need to be aware of those consumer demands to stay relevant on the shelves. 

By taking a few simple steps in conjunction with existing conventional practices, growers can adhere to a more natural method of production while remaining profitable.

1. Improve the soil structure

Healthy crops begin with healthy, nutrient-rich soil. The use of cover crops and crop rotation decreases nutrient depletion and increases organic matter breakdown by supporting the microbes in the soil, potentially reducing the amount of fertilizer needed to achieve the maximum growth potential of the plants. 

Cover crops build soil health by adding organic matter as their roots degrade into the soil, increasing nutrient retention, controlling erosion through improved stability and moisture-retaining capabilities, and reducing the number of weeds in the field, which decreases the need for herbicides.

By using different crops in rotation, different types of organic matter are added to the soil, diversifying the available nutrients and microorganisms present.

At planting, consider using a no-till method so as to not disrupt the soil biology and maintain the new soil that has been created.

2. Build the soil microbiome

There is a delicate symbiotic relationship between the plant and the microbes that surround its root system. Microbes in the soil help plants by increasing nutrient availability and enhancing root growth. In return, these microorganisms receive the carbon that they need to grow and thrive from the plant. 

The same means used to improve soil structure also provide a favorable environment that enhances the soil microbiome, particularly when a naturally based fertilizer is used to promote growth and diversity in microbial populations.

3. Increase nutrient availability

The use of natural substances, such as amino acids, in the chelation of micronutrients facilitates their absorption by plants as they are presented in a much more bioavailable form, meaning they are ready to be used. Plants that are well-nourished are healthier and will be better able to resist environmental stressors.  

4. Naturally boost plant performance

The use of biostimulants has grown exponentially in the past few years. These  naturally based products  help to promote functions in the plant that improve efficiency, increase performance and strengthen stress tolerance. 

Used as an alternative to synthetic products, growers are finding that their results in yield and quality equal or exceed those observed when using conventional practices. 

5. Utilize integrated pest management

Focusing on a more long-term approach to decreasing pests and other environmental stressors, integrated pest management (IPM) combines different methods, such as biological control using biopesticides and promoting induced resistance in the plant, for a more comprehensive approach to management.  

From a nutritional standpoint, a plant that is healthy will have a better chance of resisting disease pressure. 

IPM also looks at the growing environment as a whole, taking into account many factors, including current pests and their predators, irrigation and drought conditions, weed management and soil conditions.

It is clear that many parts of these approaches are interconnected and will have effects on the others. Improving the soil will improve the plant, which will make it more likely to have a systemic resistance to environmental and disease pressures and will reduce the need for pesticides and other synthetic interventions.  

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On the heels of Alltech’s acquisition of Solbiosur in December 2016, we caught up with the people who are hard at work making this joining of forces possible.

Alltech Crop Science (ACS) has been active in Europe for over 20 years. What began in the U.K., Ireland, Turkey and Denmark, where a considerable percentage of maize silage and potato crops were being treated with Alltech Crop Science solutions, soon expanded to other countries in Europe, such as Spain.

Solbiosur was founded in Spain in 2007, and since then, the company has become well respected in the national market and has increased its presence in the agricultural sector.

We spoke with Robert Walker, former general manager of Alltech Crop Science and current CEO of KEENAN, who was involved in the early partnering of ACS with Solbiosur; Dr. Steven Borst, current general manager of Alltech Crop Science; Jomi Bernad Blanch, Alltech regional director for Iberia; and Pedro Navarro, the commercial director for Solbiosur, to discuss the history of the collaboration and what exciting developments are expected in the near future.

How did the relationship between Alltech Crop Science and Solbiosur begin?

Robert Walker: In 2011, ACS collaborated with Ideagro, a private research company in Spain, and Solbiosur to run several trials on intensive crops. The success of these trials resulted in increasingly strong relationships between the two companies.

Pedro Navarro: The commercial relationship with ACS began in 2012 and has grown exponentially since then. By working together, we’ve been able to improve our growers’ production plans and increase their yields.

How do the companies complement one another?

Dr. Steven Borst: Solbiosur has a deep understanding of ACS technology and has used this to support its growers’ needs and ensure that the appropriate solutions are being applied. Pairing with Solbiosur, ACS can leverage its global understanding of markets and help Solbiosur expand its successful Spanish model to other parts of the world.

What benefits can growers expect from the partnership between Solbiosur and Alltech?

Jomi Bernad Blanch: Our coming together will mean an ability to deliver greater value to our customers.

Navarro: They can expect solutions to their problems, and they will know that the future of agriculture is bright.

Walker: Not only will the customers have better access to products, but they will also have access to greater support and research.

What are the opportunities in Spain and Europe for Alltech and Solbiosur?

Blanch: We believe this development unlocks an abundance of opportunities for agricultural and horticultural crop producers not just in Spain, but across the European region. The reach of both companies has significantly increased by joining forces.

Navarro: We can offer new natural-based technologies adapted to the localized markets throughout Europe and increase consumer peace of mind when they are buying their produce.

Are there going to be developments on a global level that result from the acquisition?

Borst: Absolutely. The ability for local countries to have this hub in Spain is a major opportunity to expand beyond the Iberian region.

Walker: This acquisition increases opportunities for further collaboration in other ACS markets, such as California, Brazil, Florida and Turkey, resulting in expansion of technologies, research and the sharing of ideas.

What are your thoughts about Alltech and Solbiosur’s new relationship?

Navarro: When we began, we didn’t know anything about the ACS products. Now, not only can we can attest to the efficacy of the products, but we have become a part of Alltech. We have a great opportunity ahead of us. Our customers are always looking to improve their operations, and I think that together we can achieve this.

Borst: We have the same focus of providing natural-based solutions that are safe and beneficial for agriculture, the consumer and the environment. Solbiosur has taken this core mission to heart, and it makes a lot of sense for us to work together as one team.

For more information, view our press release regarding Alltech’s acquisition of Solbiosur.

In recent years, food consumption in China has increased an average of 23 percent. Not only has there been an increase in the demand for food, but also for a more diverse range of food.
 
Yet, in 2015, China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection reported that 19 percent of arable land in the country was polluted. When one considers the decline in the amount of arable land due to urbanization as well as the constraints caused by pollution, there is little doubt that it will take significant effort to remediate the soil for agricultural use.
 
In order to face the challenges of preserving farmland as well as protecting and improving the environment while promoting the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture, the Soil and Fertilizer Alliance of China (SFAC) was formed. This organization relies on the national agricultural platform for research and extension and focuses on the soil and fertilizer industry to promote the innovative integration of crop planting, livestock feeding, operating and servicing systems. 
 
When Alltech joined the SFAC, the company had already been working on research to reduce mineral outputs in animal manure through diet. This is being increasingly examined by governmental authorities, as evidenced by China’s December 2016 Environmental Tax Law addressing heavy metals and minerals, which are of particular concern for heavily polluted areas of China.
 
“We hope that this project can help livestock farms find a more sustainable way to reduce pollution,” says Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech’s global vice president and head of Greater China, and the vice president of the SFAC. “We are finding that the Alltech solutions are not only significantly reducing mineral release in manure, but are also decreasing heavy metal levels.”
 
Projects such as these, combined with pollution monitoring, are an important step in reaching the country’s goal of significantly reducing soil pollution in the next five years.  

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.”

It takes 1,000 years to naturally create 1 inch of topsoil. Now consider that over 20 percent of soils worldwide have been degraded through agricultural practices.   

Resting the land for thousands of years is not a realistic response to soil degradation. However, a viable solution may be found in agricultural management practices that are focused on retaining and repopulating the soil with beneficial microorganisms that improve soil health and quality.

“It is paramount for the grower to understand the intricacies of the soil-plant relationship,” explains Ney Ibrahim, director of Alltech Crop Science Brazil. 

Reestablishing soil health

Plant health starts from the ground up. When growers use practices that promote the reestablishment of the biological balance in the soil, such as cover crops, crop rotation and natural fertilizers, this improves the interactions between soil and plant. These practices can help decrease negative plant response to environmental stressors and increase productivity. 

Microbiological management gives life to the soil and increases nutrient availability that the plant can then use to enhance its root growth and possibly increase immunity and disease suppression. 

Meanwhile, organic matter is returned to the soil, creating a positive cycle for future crops and leaving a legacy of sustainability for the new generation of growers.    

I want to learn more about improving soil health. 

Spain’s old-world charm is infused with music, food and wine. The Alltech Crop Science (ACS) Spain Crop Tour 2016 certainly enjoyed these Spanish delights, but attendees were there for something else: Spain’s agriculture.
 
Seventy-two tour participants representing Brazil, the United States, Canada, Morocco, Algeria, Greece and northern Spain commenced their week-long journey in southeastern Spain. They began with a visit to Primaflor, a producer of ready-to-eat salads that specializes in leafy vegetables. Primaflor farms over 14,000 acres and has been using ACS products for four years, resulting in increased quality and quantity. Inside a 7.5-acre, fully automated greenhouse, the group viewed the systems that allow the greenhouse to produce the equivalent of 22 acres’ worth of greens!
 
The lack of water throughout eastern Spain means that producers have to be more creative in their usage and make every drop count. From Plantiagro, a seeds and seedling producer in Murcia, to Daramezas and Castrejón Alto in Toledo, which produce grapes for cognac and olives, respectively, challenges include not only overcoming issues with scarcity, but also with salinity and poor water quality. Growers are constantly looking for ways to make their farms more efficient while maintaining and increasing productivity levels, something many of the tour participants found relatable.
 
Before ending with a day at Fruit Attraction, the largest agronomic trade show in Europe, the tour included a visit to the research fields and laboratory of Ideagro, an independent research group that has been working with ACS for years, as well as touring the table grape variety fields of ITUM and sightseeing in Murcia, Toledo and Madrid
 
After spending a week together, the group felt like a large family.
 
“The trip was wonderful in networking, fun and learning, but what truly makes a difference are the people we share the experience with,” noted Sebastião Rodovalho from Trisolo.
 
“In one word, I would describe the tour as wonderful, because it makes me want to do more, learn more,” said João Garcia, who represents Casa do Adubo. “I came back excited and full of knowledge to share.” 
 
A few days later, Garcia shared his experiences from the tour with friends who were “amazed with all the information I was able to bring back,” he said. “With all that we learned during the week, Brazil and the world gained more experienced people when we returned home.” 

The following is an excerpt from a post by Chief Innovation Officer Aidan Connolly on LinkedIn.

The year is 2050. 

The global population has now reached 9.6 billion people and is increasing every day. You turn on the television, and once again the news turns to how we need the equivalent of three planets in order to feed this unprecedented population. 

Is the world ready for this type of reality? Through the use of sustainable practices and precision agriculture, the answer could be a resounding “yes!”

In October 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was created, with one of the key goals being to effectively manage the global food system. To celebrate the founding of the organization, World Food Day was created, and this year, the 71^st anniversary, the theme is “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must, too.”

Dr. Steven Borst, general manager of Alltech Crop Science, believes that biotechnology, as an evolving science, is paramount to tackling the challenges of sustainable development. In 1987, The United Nations defined sustainability as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” 

“Having the ability to understand, influence and obtain immediate feedback on how we can assist and maintain the maximum potential inherent to each crop could unlock the keys to yield increases as well as abiotic and biotic stress resistance in ways that we could not imagine,” said Borst. 

In order to feed this growing population, we will have to work together at every level: global, local and individual.

“Regardless of which category you fall under, utilizing sustainable approaches to maximize yields and quality will assist with ensuring that we maintain the successes we have already gained in this battle,” continued Borst. 

To bring the goal of sustainably and feeding 9.6 billion people one step closer to reality, new tools and management practices will be needed. We must be able to do more with less, while improving and maintaining food quality.

Alltech Crop Science utilizes unique technologies that stem from research. By strengthening natural plant processes and providing precise micronutrient availability, crops are better able to withstand environmental stresses and reach their maximum genetic potential in yield and quality.

The increasing use of precision agriculture also enables today’s growers to pinpoint areas under stress. By targeting fertilizer and other input applications only to the affected areas, growers can improve their environmental footprint and even their bottom line.

These new technologies could lead to a 2050 that’s more sustainable for our world, our food production and the operations of the modern grower.

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Combatting stressors in coffee production

In many homes throughout the world, the day starts with a cup of coffee. Very likely, that cup originated in Brazil and, particularly, in Minas Gerais.   

Minas Gerais, the fourth-largest state in Brazil and second only to São Paulo in population, offers great diversity not only in geography, but in agriculture. Varying climates, soil types and elevations make it possible for the state to produce crops ranging from bananas and corn to potatoes and sugar cane, with coffee being the state’s number one crop.  

This variability in terrain also leads to adverse conditions for the coffee plant caused by temperature, nutritional deficiencies and higher relative humidity, which affect the final formation of the coffee. Proper plant nutrition can aid the plants in combating these stressors and reaching their production potential.

Recently, Alltech Crop Science opened a new production facility in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, which will not only increase opportunities for residents in the area, but will provide greater availability and quality of service for growers in the region.

“The city is a prime example of logistic infrastructure for Brazil, so moving to this area (the Triângulo Mineiro) will benefit many of our customers,” said Ney Ibrahim, director of Alltech Crop Science in Brazil.  

Marcelo Vieira, a producer who grows approximately 500 acres of coffee, has been using the Alltech Crop Science solutions on his operation for several years and has seen greater uniformity and improvement in plant health.

“Later, these positive aspects are reflected in the mature coffee and in the quality of the beverage and, of course, in our pockets,” affirmed Vieira.  

Vieira’s results illustrate Ibrahim’s vision for Brazil – a growing realization that better solutions and management practices lead to greater results. 
 

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