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Agronomy Q&A: Understanding PROTIVATE™ and Its Role in Crop Success

What is PROTIVATE™ nutritional seed enhancer?

PROTIVATE™ is a dual-purpose seed enhancement product. It replaces seed flow agents such as talc and graphite while supplying nutrients directly to the seed, bridging the gap between planting and germination. This gets the seedling up and running even before the plants can tap into soil amendment fertilizer applications. It comes in various formulations, all including nitrogen, phosphate, manganese and zinc. We also have one formulation with molybdenum that benefits soybeans and two others with a shine component that are used as seed finishers.

What are growers looking for or replacing when they find this product?

Honestly, I would say that a grower considering PROTIVATE is looking for what’s next in increasing their success. They’re already buying a talc and/or graphite product. PROTIVATE is for the progressive-thinking grower looking for a product that can take them to the next level and give them an early-season edge. That will be done via the nutrients we apply directly to the seed. PROTIVATE offers some of the highest nutrient loads of any comparable product on the market.

It also addresses the issue of varied emergence caused by micronutrient deficiencies.

What makes PROTIVATE™ different?

The most significant benefit is that we are bridging an early gap. In its earliest stages, the seed has to live off what's in the seed before it has exploratory roots that can reach for the other things we apply to the soil, such as starter fertilizers or any other soil amendment we are counting on for the season.

Our product has a sufficient load of available phosphate, which is essential for early growth – especially for those early shoots and roots. However, we strongly emphasize the micronutrient side, where other products tend to lack adequate amounts of the right micronutrients. From the start, PROTIVATE can provide a significant percentage of the micronutrients the plant needs in season.

For many growers, replenishing their nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is front of mind, but soil amendments of micros such as zinc, manganese and molybdenum have been less common. This means that with every crop, we’re mining these plant-essential nutrients, making them less and less available. The fact that we can add these back in at the same step as adding a seed flow agent to the box makes using PROTIVATE much more manageable for growers.

What results can growers expect to see when using PROTIVATE™?

We consistently see improved early growth with faster germination, faster emergence and — just as notably — uniform, consistent stands. In season, growers who use PROTIVATE see plants that grow bigger, stronger and faster, thanks to that solid foundation we’ve built. At harvest, they should see improved yields as a result of better plant health and growth throughout the season.

Why is early-season growth so significant?

There’s actually quite a bit of peer-reviewed research that talks about even emergence and how a late-emerged plant acts more like a weed, pulling resources from the plant without any benefit at the end of the season. We eliminate that competition by getting the seeds up and going consistently, even in cool, wet conditions.

During the season, the bigger, stronger, faster growth means greater biomass and less susceptibility to snap and other early and mid-season weather events. All that together sets growers up for the best possible scenario for yield success at harvest. As we all know, Mother Nature has to be a little cooperative for maximum yields, but we have a lot of data showing yield success with PROTIVATE, no matter the weather.

What crops can PROTIVATE™ be applied to?

At the end of the day, PROTIVATE is a fertilizer, so there is a lot of opportunity. The different formulations of PROTIVATE are labeled for specific crops — from wheat and cereal grains to dry edible beans and everything in between.

These products perform across the board, especially in the corn, soybean and specialty crop markets. The biggest thing we always want to emphasize is for growers to respect the 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship — applying the right fertilizer source at the right rate, the right time and the right place. The biggest watch out would be ensuring that a crop with a particular sensitivity gets plenty of what it needs and none of what it doesn't.

<H2> Even emergence is the key to yield.

Establishing the crop and setting yourself up for the best-case scenario is key to success. Growers cannot reset the clock and make changes once the season is underway; you have to start strong to finish strong.

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