Sentry Crop Nutrient Results: Strong case for replacing synthetic treatments in agriculture
- July 6, 2021
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Sentry Crop Nutrient Results In Field Tests
Field trial results compiled for corn yield and soil biology in treatments compared to fungal control applications.
Genesis Ag’s Sentry is a nutrient-based product that can help protect against some pathogens in crops. It provides plant protection without significant damage to beneficial soil microbes and at the expense of overall soil health.
Sentry alone and in various combinations was compared with two of the top fungicides on the market along with a control treatment using standard fertility and water. While the results indicate advantages for the two commercial fungicides in terms of yield, the differences were statistically inconclusive for one brand compared to Sentry. Although one fungicide did show a statistically relevant yield increase, this yield advantage came at great cost in terms of the soil health parameters.
With fungicide use, the soil fungal component diminished significantly below the control treatment with a blanket impact on all fungal species as well as some bacterial families in the soil. The biomass levels also decreased, and this decrease was statistically relevant and hypothetically this can create more niches for pathogenic systems in soil. There was also a decrease in overall phosphatase activity in soil which can lead to the need for increased phosphorus input as well as phosphorus leaching. There is sufficient evidence to indicate a drop in the already poor fungal profile of the soils. The data also indicated a drop in one of the major soil bacterial groups – Actinomycetes.
In comparison, Sentry provided a 5.4 bushel yield increase over the control treatment and only slightly less yield than fungicide 2. Overall data suggests a compelling case for replacing mainstream synthetic antifungal treatment with Sentry to create resilient and healthy soil systems.
