#bioactivation Archives - FertiGlobal

November 29, 2024
Tulip market in the Netherlands

National Tulip day

It’s the most widely recognised symbol of the country that grows three billion of them every year. It’s hardly surprising that they dedicate a day to the national flower: in 2025, celebrations fall on January 18.

Grown in the Netherlands since the sixteenth century, the tulip became so popular in the seventeenth century as to spark an outbreak of ‘tulip mania’ – a frenzy of speculative trading that saw the most sought-after bulbs sell for up to ten times the then price of an average house.

Fortunately, such days are past, yet its legacy remains: the tulip industry has become a significant contributor to Dutch horticulture in the 21st century. Growing the colourful bulb generates around €320m in export sales every year and, together with other flower bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses, gives the Netherlands a 90% dominance of world trade in this sector.

So where better for FertiGlobal to conduct a trial of one its innovative EnNuVi Technology-based products, to assess its performance in tulips and compare it with reference treatments?

Ianus is the newest member of the EnNuVi Technology product portfolio. EnNuVi, remember, an acronym of Enhance, Nurture, Vitalize – is a patented Technology that has a remarkable effect on crops, a unique ability to trigger and control plants’ defence and resistance systems.

EnNuVi Technology-based products are ahead of the curve in terms of the ‘next big thing’ in bioactivation products, for they can actually control the switching on and switching off of the plant’s genes.  By activating and deactivating genes involved with stress – whether that’s stress caused by external factors (abiotic stress) that might make the plant more susceptible to diseases, or the stress caused by disease itself – any one of the growing portfolio of EnNuVi products can help significantly reduce conventional pesticide use.

Ianus, in common with its EnNuVi stablemates, combines active polyphenols and selected natural ingredients to help the crop grow, healthy and strong, and to achieve its full yield potential. These polyphenols, when combined withessential nutrients into an active ingredient, namely, a nutrient-polyphenolic-molecule (NPM), bioactivate the plants. In the case of Ianus, the active ingredient manganese-zinc-polyphenolic-molecule is the ‘superpower hero’.

The manganese-zinc-polyphenolic-molecule has an important role in many of the plant’s essential biochemical processes, including photosynthesis, nitrate conversion and hormone signalling. But in a stress context, it has two further roles with big implications.

First, it ‘mops up’ what are known as ‘reactive oxygen species’, or ROS. Found in all living organisms, these are a natural byproduct of oxygen metabolism and are usually ‘used up’ in other processes. Sometimes, however, the balance can become upset – and in excess, ROS can cause significant damage to cells, DNA and proteins.

The other significant role for the manganese-zinc-polyphenolic-molecule is in plant defence: it helps the plant in its constant battles with disease-causing pathogens. A bioactivated plant defence system is like a well-equipped army.

As a result, better growth, development and yield. The manganese-zinc-polyphenolic-molecule protects chlorophyll from degradation so that the plants can keep a high photosynthetic activity even when under stress.

It’s why Ianus is such an exciting product to add to the portfolio of EnNuVi Technology-based products. It’s also why we were thrilled to put it through its paces in a trial organised by CEBECO, a subsidiary of the widely known and well-respected Royal Agrifirm Group, one of the largest agricultural cooperatives in the Netherlands.

Conducted in spring 2024, the trials involved the tulip varieties Jumbo Pink and Red Ranger. In three separate trials, the aim was to examine the effectiveness of Ianus against a variety of other foliar treatments; to evaluate the efficacy of Ianus on bulb production after the second year of cultivation; and to assess the effectiveness of Ianus (and in combination with other EnNuVi Technology-based products) in overall bulb production.

Tulip Trial

Observations showed Ianus could improve crop vitality, achieving by the end of the season the highest index of vigour across 13 different treatments.

Tulip Recultivation

Ianus improved crop vitality, reaching the highest vigour index at the conclusion of the trial.

In measuring the growth factor, i.e. the total weight of the crop/total weight of plantation, Ianus showed better results than any other treatment, indicating how Ianus can increase the crop’s overall productivity.

Our conclusion?

This is a great example of an EnNuVi Technology-based product achieving the overall FertiGlobal objective: reassuring growers that active biological products (keyword: bioactivation) can deliver as good, if not better, results than conventional treatments.

It’s one step at a time in our mission to help farmers produce better crops by using fewer harsh chemicals. And a great demonstration of our intention to demonstrate that FertiGlobal products aren’t just there to help grow food more responsibly, but also the many other products – fibre and flowers to name just two – that we expect agriculture and horticulture to provide.

At FertiGlobal the sustainability and quality across all forms of agriculture are in our sights.

September 25, 2024
FertiGlobal’s patented EnNuVi Technology

Making the right impression with EnNuVi

You only get one chance to make a first impression, so the saying goes, and nowhere is that more applicable than with biological crop inputs.

Few would dispute that ‘biologicals’ – crop inputs containing, or derived from, naturally occurring substances such as microbes, or other plants – are on the rise. Yet the current generation of products owes much of their ascendancy to sustained work by manufacturers and developers to dispel the ‘backyard bathtub’ image that many growers associate with non-standard crop protection products.

Frustratingly for those with a focus on viable, non-conventional inputs, growers have often been right in their assessment of some of these ‘alternative’ products. Why? Because too many of them simply have not lived up to their claims. Once bitten, twice shy: growers became suspicious and doubtful about biologicals’ ability to deliver.

Knowing this is half the battle. At FertiGlobal it’s constantly in our minds. But we have one critical advantage: we are driven by a resolute commitment to research, using science and data responsibly, to develop technically robust products that can deliver clear results for growers.

That’s especially important to us because our products are not ‘standard’ biologicals.

Of course, our R&D activities are not just limited to the lab. We need to test and check our products under field conditions. And that’s what led us to Germany this year, where we’ve been delighted with a new set of trials, conducted under the watchful eye of the Bavarian State Research organisation.

Specifically, these trials examined the performance of EnNuVi in typical German crops, under typical conditions. EnNuVi – an acronym of Enhance, Nurture, Vitalize – is a worldwide patented bioactivating Technology that has a unique ability to trigger and control plants’ defence and resistance systems. EnNuVi Technology based products regulate and influence the genes in the plant, helping to protect it from stress events. Its molecule of essential plant nutrients, active polyphenols and selected natural ingredients helps the crop to grow, healthy and strong, to reach its full yield potential.

What’s really special about all EnNuVi Technology based products is that by boosting a crop’s natural defence systems, they can significantly reduce pesticide use. That meets the central tenets of FertiGlobal’s philosophy: reducing farming’s impact on the environment, and ensuring farmers can deliver high-yielding, high-quality output without requiring excessive resource use (EnNuVi also reduces crops’ water consumption).

Focused on potatoes, these trials in Germany were demonstration trials, carried out on commercial farms and designed to open farmers’ eyes to EnNuVi potential.

Across five farms, the trials included:

LG Oettersdorf*

Left: standard practice + Mantus and Thesan; Right: standard practice

The farmer put 10ha of his potatoes into the demo trials, one-tenth of his total potato area. The picture shows the variety Lilly, one of 40 varieties grown at this farm.

The farmer reported that plants treated with EnNuVi were more stable, an observation confirmed during subsequent assessments.

Five different fungicides were used to check EnNuVi Technology based products.

Agrahof Gospersgrün  

 Overview of ware potato trial

A farm growing 14 varieties of potatoes, with a similar fungicide programme.

LWB Dziabel 

Plot ware potato trial

This farm also grows Lilly, a popular variety, alongside crops of Laura, Bellana and Afra, of which 0.4 ha was given over to the trial. This farmer also trialled EnNuVi on a crop of leeks, with clearly evident results.

Agrargenossenschaft Lößnitz-Stollberg* 

Left: standard practice + Mantus and Thesan; Right: standard practice (sample taken from one plant)

Another multi-variety farm, here Baltic Rose and Milva were cultivated with EnNuVi.

Agrar Dresdner Vorland

Left: standard practice + Mantus and Thesan; Right: standard practice

 Five hectares of Laura were treated with EnNuVi. The participating farmer was so happy with the results, that he wants to apply EnNuVi to the rest of the crop

(*) farms producing seed potatoes. The others are producing ware potatoes.

Notes and observations:

  • Across all sites, vegetative growth was complete
  • Flowering partially completed
  • Climatic conditions: wet
  • Fungicide application internal was 7 days (Lößnitz-Stollberg: 5 days)
  • Phytophthora disease stress was high. Where EnNuVi was applied, less disease stress was observed
  • EnNuVi-treated crops yielded potatoes that were significantly wider, larger and uniform, across the 35-40mm size standard
  • All farmers were satisfied and convinced with the effect of EnNuVi, with only one neutral opinion (Lößnitz-Stollberg).

Fantastic results: simple but effective, measured and easily reproducible, it’s trials like these that can – without showy or excessively confident claims – win back farmers’ belief and interest in bringing real alternative products into their farming systems, and give them the insight they need to be assured that they’re making a good decision.

And it’s also great for us at FertiGlobal. In the coming months, we’re going to put new focus on EnNuVi and strive to define the best positioning that will deliver best value to the grower.

We believe the EnNuVi value proposition should be to protect crop yields through more resilient plants, under any adverse conditions – thus protecting farmers’ investments.

This is our contribution to the sustainability and quality of crop production.

November 4, 2021
Brazilian news

Advanced bioactivating technologies for vineyards

☀️Farming fields are definitively one of our favorite working places!

The expert live support we provide to partners and clients all over the world allows us to discuss with growers and understand their actual needs.

Here we are in Brazil, in the beautiful Vale do São Francisco. The production of wine is a crucial economic activity for the region.

🍇 Look at these grapes: the application of our advanced bioactivating technologies has reinforced and nurtured these vineyards, supporting their development along the entire lifecycle.

Another visible proof that sustainable agriculture doesn’t mean reducing yields!

February 17, 2021
Pernambuco, the Brazilian region for grapes

EnNuVi Technology on grapes

There’s no better way to show the power of FertiGlobal’s EnNuVi technology than seeing it in action!
Look at this beautiful vineyard in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco! 🍇
Here, together with one of our partners in the region, FertiGlobal’s local team is holding technical meetings directly on-field. In this way, farmers have the chance to see the super positive effects of our EnNuVi technology on crops and benefit from the expert advice of our Brazilian team.
The audience was amazed to find out how grapes have coped with typical seasonal diseases thanks to EnNuVi’s ‘energy boost’.
These beautiful bunches are the proof! 👏
November 10, 2020
FertiGlobal’s R&D team at work

EnNuVi’s tests in Larderello lab

👨‍🔬 At FertiGlobal’s hub in Larderello (Italy), our R&D team works every day on the development and constant improvement of advanced solutions for a more sustainable agriculture. This how our worldwide patented biostimulant technology EnNuVi has been created!
In this picture you can see one of the many tests our R&D is conducting on EnNuVi. It is focused on soil salinity, one of the most common stress factors affecting plants worldwide.
The aim of the trial is to test EnNuVi’s ability to improve the tolerance of young corn seedlings to excessive salinity levels.
Results are proving us right: plants are growing healthy in spite of the unfavorable soil conditions.
Stay tuned for more updates!
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