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Vegetable Growers Express Impressions, Concerns and Hope for Crop Biostimulants New survey helps researchers understand the current use and attitudes of biostimulants in California vegetable crops. By ZHENG WANG | UCCE Vegetable Crops Farm Advisor, Stanislaus County Crop biostimulants are many things. First, they are claimed to be multi-functional, including enhancement of soil and crop health, acceleration of soil nutrient cycling and improvement of crop productivity and fruit quality, among other benefits. Second, they are categorized by the active ingredient, application method, cost and target Advertorial Everyone has heard the old saying, “Aglime works 1/3 each year for 3 years.” But where did this come from? The research we rely on mainly comes from the Midwest where the aglime is much more coarse. In fact, the larger particle sizes 4, 8 & 30 mesh are ineffective within 3 years. Pictured are actual aglime samples taken from Blue Mtn, CA (on the left) and Nokomis, IL. Each compartment has a mesh under it, the number indicates the size. The material above is retained on that mesh size, the material below is smaller. Particle size determines how quickly an aglime reacts, the old saying is not an accurate way to describe aglime’s efficiency. Ask for it by name Blue Mountain Minerals Naturally the Best! For more information 209-533-0127x12 crops. Third, they are popular among ever-greater numbers of vegetable farmers regardless of production system, scale and commodity. <strong>Final</strong>ly, some of their performance/efficacy is variable, while many others are unknown. According to Grand View Research Inc., the global revenue generated by biostimulants was $1.74 billion in 2016, dominated by European and North American companies. Projections indicate that the market value will reach $4.14 billion by 2025. Though it is difficult to obtain an exact number of biostimulant products currently on the market, the estimate is over 600 with more becoming available each year. However, County of California Stanislaus Kern Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo San Joaquin Fresno Monterey Imperial Yolo Sutter Merced Sacramento Madera Yuba Riverside San Bernardino San Diego Santa Cruz Santa Clara Ventura Solano No. of grower responses 34 3 1 1 14 5 3 3 7 2 10 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 Table 1. List of counties for the respondents’ vegetable field locations. 36 Progressive Crop Consultant March / April 2021
this grand prosperity of crop biostimulants is not shared equally among people who use them. Particularly to vegetable growers who operate farming at every scale that differs widely in climates, production timing, marketable portion, planting techniques, field preparation and maturity, it can be extremely complex to choose the right product from the long list and use it at the right time in the right way. The first and maybe the foremost step toward a more effective use of crop biostimulants among vegetable growers is to understand their current use, experience, concerns and hopes. To accomplish the task, a survey was sent out to collect the specific information from vegetable growers mainly in the San Joaquin Valley and other counties in California. The Survey and Respondent The survey was sent to approximately 648 vegetable growers in late October 2020 with the help of other UCCE advisors and commodity boards. The survey was then closed about two months thereafter before the responses were summarized. The original survey can be found at cestanislaus.ucanr.edu/ Agriculture/Vegetable_Crops/Biostimulant_Survey/. The survey contains eight questions with the first four asking growers how they farm and the last four related to their experience and opinions to crop biostimulants. By the end of December 2020, we received a total of 83 responses (12.8%), with 74 of them being valid responses (11.4%). Nine responses were not included because there were two replies without an answer to any of the question, five responses from oversea, and two responses from counties outside California. Details about the composition and production of the 74 respondents are included below and in Table 1. By production, there were 10, 27 and 37 growers claiming organic only, conventional only and mix of both. By scale, there were 31, 7 and 36 growers with vegetable production scale below 100 acres, 100 to 500 acres and over 500 acres. ORGANIC By commodity, crops with more than 10 responses included tomato (46), pepper (23), melon (21), summer/winter squash (21), leafy greens/herbs (21), cole crops (16), watermelon (16) and onion (13). By production location, the 74 growers claimed to have their vegetable fields in 21 counties across California. For details, see Table 1. ® Continued on Page 38 The Grower’s Advantage Since 1982 Effective Plant Nutrients and Biopesticides to Improve Crop Quality & Yield Contains Auxiliary Soil & Plant Substances Botector ® Biofungicide ® ORGANIC Plant Nutrients & Adjuvants ® GARGOIL INSECT, MITE & DISEASE CONTROL Blossom Protect Biopesticide ® Herbicide EC © ® For more information, call (800) 876-2767 or visit www.westbridge.com March / April 2021 www.progressivecrop.com 37
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