One of our chief drivers here at Elemental Enzymes is to identify problems in crop production that have no solutions or could use more attention — not just in the United States, but in other locales. And because our crop-health solutions derive from naturally occurring enzymes, peptides, and biochemistries, we are often asked: Are they biologicals?

Worldwide, bio-derived products are labeled as “biostimulants,” “soil conditioners,” “organic fertilizers,” or similar. Elemental’s novel and targeted modes of action reach beyond these labels and across international borders.

Smith points out most farmers are familiar with biologicals like rhizobia, bacteria used in the promotion of plant growth and nitrogen fixation for legumes such as soybeans. But Elemental’s enzyme- and peptide-based products are specialized and extremely focused on where they are directed to act. For instance, rather than acting as a generic fungicide, our biofungicides activate and amplify a specific immune response within the plant to control numerous bacterial and fungal pathogens such as Citrus Greening or Asian soybean rust.

Stubble reduction is another example of specialized amplifiers at work. While traditional biologicals only scratch the surface, Elemental Enzymes’ amplifiers work from the inside out to reduce stubble more efficiently.

Think of the difference this way: You drive through a large puddle that splashes mud up your car’s fender. You could run by the drive-through car wash on your way home; or you could get a bucket of soapy water and a sponge to wipe it off in 5 minutes once you’re home. The car wash is convenient, sure, but it also costs $12 and there’s no guarantee it will remove all the mud, whereas your targeted sponge-and-bucket wipe-down will.

We apply our patented technology to enzymatic and peptide product development, which captures the benefits of these agents in a non-living form that can be manufactured, packaged, shipped, stored, and safely mixed/applied. Our products are compatible with conventional fertilizers or pesticides, do not separate when mixed with those, and boast a stable shelf life of at least 24 months when properly stored.

Traditional Biologicals

• Broad application
• Potential storage, heat, and mixing issues
• Need time to adjust to new microbiomes

Elemental Enzymes

• Targeted tasks
• Manufactured for up to 30 months of stability and mixability
• Work within plant’s system

“Some of our formulations can be stored for up to 30 months,” Smith said, “and we are working on extending them to four years. A 48-month shelf life is tremendous when you get into the distribution channel, and much easier to sell to growers.”

Stable storage is one reason industry partners like to pair Elemental’s technology with their own conventional crop-health products. Another is that if growers are finding resistance to a synthetic pesticide, for instance, adding our naturally derived, synthetically produced peptide to the formulation amplifies the plant’s immune system to fight alongside the pesticide — presenting the pathogen with multiple modes of action.

Elemental is also pairing our products in-house with certain biologicals to test their viability, and finding no problems so far. “That’s one thing we pride ourselves on, is that the compatibility is there to go with any product that is out on the market,” she added.

How we know they work

Smith notes Elemental conducts years of research on any formulation before taking it to a potential industry partner, and the partner also does their own extended testing. This is not only to pass regulatory scrutiny, but to be able to answer farmer queries about performance. “Every product seems to claim a ‘so many bushels’ increase,” she said, “but I think with respect to the claims of our products, if growers understand how it is happening, they can decide if the fit is good with their crops and practices.”

Elemental’s products are amplifying what Mother Nature already does, in a way that fits within the farming practices and products growers are already using — even biologicals.