Letting Crops Flourish

NGA. How important are inoculants in disease control/plant health?
Mike Blanding. Achieving a good start with any plant indented for crop production is essential. By applying an inoculant and/or seed treatment to legume crops enables the seedling to stay off threatening diseases and thrive under normal growing conditions. The ability of legumes to 'fix' their own nitrogen allows for rapid growth and ideal plant health thus making the plant less susceptible to disease. For optimum nodulation, producers should inoculate every time they plant a legume. The addition of a seed treatment such as a fungicide along with the inoculant has proven to be beneficial as well under certain stressful growing conditions.

NGA. What diseases should farmers be most concerned about protecting their seeds against?
MB. There are number of diseases that can affect legume crops from seeding to harvest. It is always ideal to continually scout the crop to look for the first signs or indicators of crop disease. Disease pressure varies greatly depending upon the regions in which the crops are grown. Areas that receive more rainfall and maintain a higher level of relative humidity are more susceptible to disease pressure. These diseases are initiated primarily by seed borne or soil borne pathogens. The most common diseases to affect legume crops are Damping Off, Sudden Death, Asian Rust and Root Rot.  

NGA. What are the biggest challenges that inoculant manufacturers currently face?
MB. The challenges facing inoculant manufacturers in the US are two fold. One is to increase the usage rate for legume inoculants among American producers; the other is to develop the technology to allow inoculants and seed treatments such as fungicides to coexist on the seed for extended periods of time. It is estimated that only 20-25 percent of all of the soybeans planted in the US are inoculated. Therefore, the largest competitor for all inoculant companies is the non-user. However, through educational meetings, advertisements, and extensive testing to confirm that the new technologies of inoculants are proven to be beneficial, the usage rate is rising among legume producers.

For many years, the ultimate accomplishment for any inoculant company has been to find a method for allowing a sensitive microorganism such as rhizobium to survive on the seed for extended periods of time. To date, great advancements have been made in this area, but a true pre-inoculant product for soybeans has eluded microbiologists worldwide. However, advancements in technology through extensive research hold the keys to this once impossible concept.  

NGA. What are the benefits to farmers of selecting your products?
MB. INTX Microbials, LLC is a world class manufacturer of legume inoculants, plant growth promoting rhizobium (PGPR), and water adjuvants for chemical tank mixes. INTX continually tests its products through independent and university studies to ensure that producers worldwide are using the most effective products in the marketplace.

INTX is the only full-line inoculant manufacturer in the US, offering inoculant products for all legumes in all known carriers. It is with this diversity of product offering that INTX can be a one-stop shop for customers and producers alike for quality products for all their legume inoculant needs. Competitive in the field and competitive in the marketplace, INTX inoculants are quickly becoming the brand of choice. INTX Microbials, LLC has just recently launched a new line of microbial products for non-legume crops such as cereal grains.

The new ACCOLADE growth promoter product contains unique plant growth promoting rhizobium (PGPR) to initiate seedling growth and root development. This new green technology is very versatile in its application to crops and recent studies have shown that the organisms in ACCOLADE actually fix an organic form of nitrogen in the root zone that can be utilized by surrounding crops. Increased germination rates, improved seedling vigor, enhanced overall plant health, and ultimately a more bountiful crop is making the new ACCOLADE very popular among cereal grain producers. In closing, INTX Microbials, LLC is a leading producer of quality microbial products that are field tested and backed by superior customer service and product support.