New Testing Platform Provides Clarity For Biologicals Market
When it comes to biologicals, we know our retailers and their growers are hungry for clarity and information. There have been billions of dollars invested in hundreds of new products, some claiming to be silver bullet solutions to every grower’s needs. How are you supposed to know which are worth the investment? It’s not as simple as seeing a weed, killing a weed.
WinField United has created a one-of-a-kind testing platform, leveraging the industry-leading Answer Plot® system to vet products and help manufacturers and retailers understand how to best position biological products on every acre.
About The Testing Platform
The platform’s first year was 2021. Since then, we have tested more than 40 products across 11 states. We work with manufacturers to help them build their product dataset and understand how to best position their products in the market. Each product is tested using a rigorous and unique method that allows us to obtain actionable data in as little as one year.
The New Frontier In Biological Testing
Soon products could be taken to the WinField United Innovation Center to be screened by our new, cutting-edge phenotyping equipment. This new technology will help us determine more quickly if a product can do what it claims by detecting changes that may not be visible to the human eye.
This testing method allows us to evaluate new biologicals year-round and run a higher number of samples before taking products to the field.
Putting The Data Into Action
The purpose of the platform is to provide reliable, unbiased data to help our local retailers provide sound recommendations that give biological products the best chance to succeed. We also use the data to bring high-performing products into our portfolio and accelerate adoption.
For example, Ascend2® plant growth regulator is a new in-furrow PGR product optimized to support early-season corn. Its unique auxin-dominant, three-way formulation is designed to support quick, even emergence and strong, deep roots for more productive corn plants. We put the product to the test and, according to data from 67 Answer Plot trials over the last four years, Ascend2 proved to have a positive yield impact of 7.5 bu./A in corn in 41 of those locations. The overall average yield response to Ascend2 stands at 3 bu./A with a p-value of 0.004 at 95% confidence.1
YieldOn® biostimulant from Valagro has also produced impressive results, and we now offer it through our retail channel. Based on our testing, 90% of trials resulted in a positive yield response from a foliar application YieldOn paired with a fungicide compared to fungicide applications without.2
Want To Learn More?
Our biologicals testing platform can do more than help partners understand how to best position products in the future. We are also working to understand how products on the market perform today. Recent trials in our testing platform have included commercially available N-fixing products. To learn more about biological product categorization, product placement and rates in our portfolio, check out the WinField United Biological Product Directory or contact your local WinField United representative.