The Heriot-Watt team is working with scientists from University College Dublin in Ireland who are testing three types of sustainable biostimulants that may work in the barley crops.
Barley makes up 63 percent of Scotland’s cereal crop and is used for malting and distilling, as well as animal feed. Its production depends heavily on nitrogen fertilizers.
“Reaching net zero means making our food production more sustainable. Biostimulants can hopefully do just that, but we need to be sure whisky won’t suffer as a result,” noted Dr. Angela Feechan, plant pathologist at Heriot-Watt University.
She noted the Irish BioCrop project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is
carrying out field trials at the moment, and that Heriot-Watt University will be using their grain.
“They are investigating how biostimulants made from algae, bacteria and yeast perform for barley growth, health and yield compared to traditional fossil fuels,” said Feechan. “It’s not enough to know if we can grow barley without fossil fuels. We need to know what changes using biostimulants could have on them, whether it’s their quality, resistance to disease, how they respond to high heat or whether their flavour changes.
The BioCrop project will supply three barley varieties to Heriot-Watt: Cassia, Valeria and RGT Planet. Dr. Ross Alexander and Dr. Calum Holmes will carry out controlled experiments in the university’s renowned International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD).
“We’ll be testing the barley in our micro maltings, which gives us a very controlled way to test grains at all stages of whisky production,” said Alexander. “Although it’s laboratory-based, it is possible to produce malt comparable to that produced in commercial maltings.
The researchers will examine the barley on the nanoscale throughout the process to ensure it meets industry standards. That’s everything from how its seeds grow, grain size, enzyme values and soluble protein content.
“Nitrogen content is key to barley meeting market specifications. Malt distilling requires a nitrogen level of below 1.65 percent,” said Alexander. “Any change to that could mean it’s not useable for whisky production; the micro malting analysis will give us certainty on the effect of biostimulants on barley.”
The project will run for around two years and the Heriot-Watt team will visit the field trial site at Lyons Farm, University College Dublin to see the biostimulants in action.
The project is funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The BioCrop project in Ireland is funded by the Irish government’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. ●
They are investigating how biostimulants made from algae, bacteria and yeast perform for barley growth, health and yield.
EcoStim, a developer and manufacturer of plant biostimulants based in the United Kingdom, has announced plans to expand in North America through a partnership with Excel Holdings.
EcoStim, which launched in 2018, manufactures and distributes natural biostimulants for agricultural crops and sports turf. The company current has established distribution channels in nine major countries on four continents.
During the initial launch in North America, EcoStim will begin with pilot projects in key markets around the United States. The goal of the testing will be to localize application to crop output metrics for the full EcoStim biostimulant range, which is comprised of EcoCereal, EcoFruit, EcoVeg, EcoFlower, and EcoTurf. Trials are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2023. ●
Italy-based S.c.a.m. S.p.A., a company that produces and markets organo-mineral fertilizers, has acquired Choncimer Srl, a company specializing in organic and special fertilizers for plant nutrition.
S.c.a.m. S.p.A., which is part of the Progeo Group, was established in 1951. Its strategies focus on sustainability and on valuing quality agro-industrial supply chains. Today, it employs 100 people at its production facility and headquarters in Modena, spread over an area of about 15 hectares, where it produces organo-mineral fertilizers, special fertilizers/nutritional supplements, pesticide products, and biostimulants.
Through this agreement, S.c.a.m. S.p.A. will acquire 100 percent of Choncimer Srl. Established in 1969, the company produces organic and special fertilizers at its production facility in San Severino Marche, and its line of nutritional products is marketed in Italy through its own sales network.
Choncimer Srl was seen as an interesting acquisition that could match the growth ambitions of S.c.a.m. S.p.A., also for completing the integration process in the organic fertilizer segment, complementing the product range offered by S.c.a.m. S.p.A, a market leader in organo-mineral products that has set itself challenging growth targets both in Italy and abroad in the field of special nutrition. ●
Bio Huma Netics is ringing in its 50th anniversary by officially renaming itself Huma, Inc., and consolidating its product and service lines – Fertilgold Organics, Huma Gro, Huma Gro Turf, Mesa Verde Humates and Probiotics Solutions – under the new entity.
Founded in 1973, the three-generation, employee-owned company is a leader in sustainable humic-based products and technologies, with distribution across the world.
Through company-owned humate mining rights, and a proprietary extraction and development process, Huma provides technology to boost beneficial microbial activity. Micro Carbon Technology is the foundational building block of Huma, resulting in biostimulant products that increase nutrient availability and uptake.
Huma plans to complete the rebranding process by November 2023. ●
Bionema Group Ltd. is launching seven new biostimulant products in the UK, including seaweed extracts, humic and fulvic substances, and other natural nutrients that cover all stages of plant growth, with foliar and root applications in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and turf and amenities.
The Bionema team conducted a range of glasshouse and field trials in the UK, EU, India, Canada and LATAM countries, and the findings show these products may allow farmers to cut their fertilizer use by 50 percent, while keeping 93 percent of the yields.
In Bionema’s glasshouse trials, root growth was 35 percent better when using the suggested mix of 50 percent fertilizer and Bionema’s biostimulants, compared to just using the normal 100 percent fertilizer mix. The plant biomass (excluding roots) was 93 percent of that grown with just a common fertilizer mix.
The core Bionema biostimulant products are: O-Stimula (calcium peroxide complex), Grostimula ATCA (acetyl thiazolidine carboxylic acid-ACTA formulation), Grostimula EW (triacontanol acts as a biological PGPR), Plantgro (patented combination of biofertilizers and nutrients), RootVita SP (combination of biofertilizers, beneficial microbes, nutrients, prebiotics and vitamins), Groprim (derived from Sargassum seaweed), and Floretocare (bioactive humic and fulvic substances derived from vermicompost). ●
