Sustainability isn’t an either/or decision
Biochemistries bring calm to stressed-out plants
Farmers seeking to grow crops in more sustainable ways have an ally.
Elemental Enzymes is leading the charge in helping growers meet that challenge with its focus on natural bio-amplifiers.
What are bio-amplifiers? Jeff Kammermeyer, Elemental Enzyme’s chief commercial officer, explains:
“When we talk about amplifiers we’re talking about amplifying what already works in nature and delivering it to the plant to meet the demands of what crops need,” he says. “The scientists at Elemental Enzymes take what’s already been provided by nature, isolate it, amplify it and bring it to a commercial scale so it is available to the agricultural industry.”
“What crops need” is the ability to absorb nutrients from the soil, fight off disease threats and handle stresses. Amplifiers meet those needs by way of enzymes, peptides, and biochemistries, what Elemental calls “agents”:
- Enzymes – Microbial workhorses that breakdown plant waste and other matter around the plant’s root zone, making it easier for plants to access nutrients needed for maximum growth potential
- Peptides – Chains of amino acids that bind to a receptor in a plant, unlocking the plant’s immune system when fungal and bacterial bacterial diseases are present
- Biochemistries – Solutions for plant stress management. The formulations draw from organic, molecular and physical chemistry, and are stabilized key plant proteins and enzymes.
“Nature is good at selection,” Kammermeyer says. “One of the biggest challenges you have in the biological space is seeing consistency in performance across a wide range of environments. The challenge you get with some of the other biologics is they tend to compete with more indigenous microbes. What we’ve found through our robust research and development platform is that our products work synergistically, so a high 70-80s win rate is not unheard of.”
Kammermeyer is quick to point out that Elemental Enzymes’ crop nourishing and protection products are not intended to replace traditional inputs but, rather, supplement them.
“We’re trying to bring new technology to market that amplifies solutions for growers in their current agronomic practices,” he says. “We’re not asking farmers to change their current practices. Whether they use our products in-furrow or broadcast or as a foliar application, we’re just looking to offer novel, alternative solutions that can complement their current practices.
“Our products need something to work off of. The enzyme products work on the fertilizer and organic material in the soil, breaking it down and making it more available to the plant roots. So, in the end our products work with a grower’s current fertility practices to bring about a yield increase that translates into a positive ROI.”
More growers are seeing the advantage of the Elemental Enzymes approach, which means further growth for the company.
“Growers are very passionate about sustainable agriculture,” Kammermeyer says. “They’re looking for proven technologies like the ones we work with. If we can answer the questions of reliability, consistency, compatibility and whether our products do what we say they can do, then we can continue to build on the success we’ve already seen in key markets, and globally.”
Working with retailers and distributors across the globe, Elemental continues to enhance traditionally accessible products with mother nature approved and amplified products.
Meaning yet again sustainable outcomes for farmers.