Verdesian Life Sciences announces new biological

Verdesian Life Sciences recently announced Accolade, a new biological growth enhancement liquid for all crops. Accolade can increase root development and secondary lateral root systems for increased nutrient uptake and higher yields.

"The really neat thing about Accolade is it's a rhizobacteria, which means it doesn't inhabit a nodule so it can be used with all crops," said Kurt Seevers, technology development manager for Verdesian, in a news release. "In furrow or on the seed, it grows alongside the roots as they expand. The plant provides nutrition for the bacteria and, in exchange, the rhizobacteria in Accolade produce nitrogen."

Accolade contains Azospirillum brasilense, a well-studied nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Especially in corn, the biological supports young root systems with early access to nitrogen, giving them time to grow into nitrogen applied later in the season.

"This was our first year working with Accolade on corn," said Cody Ray, agronomist for Henry Farmer Cooperative, in a news release. "We used it as a starter in-furrow, putting it on as we planted and saw a 7.6 bushel per acre advantage over the control group. We really saw a huge difference compared to the corn beside it, especially when it came to root mass. And, in this drought year, I think that helped us because the roots were reaching down and getting more water and getting more nutrients."

While Accolade performs well as a stand-alone product, it is nearly universally compatible with other fungicide and insecticide treatments. Years of in-field performance tests in Canada have shown bolstered plant performance in stressed conditions in a number of crops including cereals and soybeans.

"If you don't start the season right by giving young plants access to nitrogen, you won't have a good stand; you can't make up for that loss once the crop is up and growing," Seevers said. "As a recognized, free-living nitrogen-fixer, Accolade is very beneficial early in the season because it allows plants to establish themselves and grow better, getting out of the ground with better vigor."

Visit the Verdesian Life Sciences website for more information.