Arevo says its arginine-based crop nutrition technology can help offset the impacts of extreme heat from climate change.
With European cereal crop yield and quality down after temperatures of 40°C last summer, the company says trials in northern France, Germany, northern Italy and Poland delivered notable results.
Replicated winter wheat field trials with independent contract research organisations tested five fertiliser rates with and without Arginex seed coating.
The trials found quicker establishment and more grain, with winter wheat grown from Arginex-treated seed yielding 0.26 t/ha more on average
In Germany and France, conditions at establishment were close to ideal, and the crop was able to produce seedlings within days, so there was less for the coating to add. In Poland, the crop went into sandy soils through a very dry season, and in Italy it faced a hot May and June. Where establishment was hardest, the faster start from Arginex delivered the stronger responses.
Gains were consistent across all fertiliser rates tested, with nitrogen and phosphorus cut by 20%. Arginex-treated wheat was not significantly different in yield from the untreated crop on full fertiliser, while the untreated crop on the same cut lost 0.43 t/ha. Grower-standard fertiliser rates differed between sites, from around 92 kg N/ha in Italy to around 145 kg N/ha in Poland, so a 20% cut saves a different amount of nitrogen at each site.
Non-microbial formulation
Arginex works by combining arginine with phosphate in a stable, slow-release complex that plants take up intact, without prior mineralisation. Unlike biostimulants based on living microbes or variable blends, it is a non-microbial formulation, so it has a long shelf life, is stable on-seed, and works with standard seed treatment programmes. The arginine also supports soil biology, attracting mycorrhizal fungi and strengthening root systems for stronger early growth.
“Growers are looking for more than a higher yield. What they want is to hold their yield year after year, even when the unpredictable hits, such as the weather,” said Dr Georgios Foufas, CEO of Arevo. “Arginex-treated seed has shown a clear pattern. Plot-to-plot variation in yield was 20% lower where the seed was coated with Arginex than where it was not. And because the crop establishes faster, it gets extra days in autumn to build the roots and tillers it will carry through winter and turn into grain the following summer.”
These results come shortly after trial results for corn, where Arginex Corn was proven to deliver up to 4.3% more grain yield with 30% less nitrogen fertiliser in independent trials across Europe and South America. Follow-up evaluations are already planned for the next season.
