- Yara launches its YaraAmplix biostimulants
Today’s farmers face the challenge of feeding a growing population with limited resources, all while minimising the impact on the environment.
Yara has developed YaraAmplix, a range of biostimulants designed to help farmers meet these challenges by optimising the use of resources and reducing climate impact.
Biostimulant trials in the UK have found there are consistent benefits to using biostimulants on potato, sugar beet, and maize crops – particularly those under stress.
Today’s farmers face the challenge of feeding a growing population with limited resources, all while minimising the impact on the environment. To help farmers meet these challenges, Yara has developed YaraAmplix, a range of biostimulants designed to reduce climate impact and optimise the use of resources for more sustainable and profitable crop production.
Formerly part of the YaraVita range of foliar nutrients, seed treatments, and fertiliser coating products, Yara’s biostimulant portfolio has now been given its own identity under the YaraAmplix umbrella. As the use of biostimulants globally is increasing year on year, Yara has recognised the importance of bringing them to the UK market as part of its broader complete crop nutrition offering.
The brand name is inspired by the word ‘amplify’ as the products are designed to amplify and enhance natural plant processes to increase tolerance to abiotic stress, support soil health, and improve nutrient use efficiency as well as crop quality and productivity. As farmers grapple with the effects of climate change on crop production, biostimulants could help close the gap between crop potential and what is currently being achieved. Abiotic stress such as excessive rainfall, heat, and drought is part of the reason why crop potential is lagging behind. It’s thought that globally, over 80% of the genetic potential of wheat is not being realized – a pressing issue given the need to sustain a growing population.
As the crop nutrition industry works to close the gap, Yara is leading the way. The company has invested heavily in a new global production facility at Howden in East Yorkshire where the YaraAmplix range will be made – it’s accelerating its already well-established R&D efforts. Yara’s science-based development of its biostimulant products is rooted in more than 100 years of crop nutrition knowledge and over 50 years of developing formulations for its YaraVita portfolio.
Currently the company has more than 30 scientists working on biostimulant projects alongside agronomists, microbiologists, molecular biologists, and soil scientists. Investments in new labs and equipment has enabled fast screening of new bioactive components for biostimulants as well as improving understanding of the mode of action and efficacy of products before they are trialled in the field. “We want to become a leader in the biostimulant segment, and our significant investment in R&D along with our knowledge will allow us to deliver unique and effective formulations which have specific effects. We are in the process of developing a diverse portfolio of products to help today’s farmers cope with unique challenges and we have the vision to support them as we all look towards a more sustainable future,” says Antonis Angeletakis, Yara’s Director of Biostimulants.
Yara’s UK field trials have demonstrated that biostimulants can play an important role in enabling more sustainable and productive crop production. The most consistent benefits have been seen in potato, sugar beet, and maize crops, and there is ongoing work to assess their impact on cereals, oilseed rape, and grassland. The product used in the trials was OPTITRAC, a biostimulant containing bioactive components from seaweed extract alongside vitamins and other nutrients designed to promote plant growth, improve flowering, and increase tolerance to abiotic stresses. The trials found that where crops were under some form of stress, for example from drought or herbicide application, biostimulant use produced some impressive results.
Split field trials on potatoes at sites in Yorkshire and Scotland found that two applications of OPTITRAC at 3 litres/hectare produced a 10% yield increase and a marketable yield increase of 3.5 tonnes respectively. In a split field trial on sugar beet in Suffolk there was also a 5% yield increase when OPTITRAC was applied twice at growth stage 16-18, then again at growth stage 19. In addition, a 2023 UK and Ireland Maize trial found that applying OPTITRAC at 2 litres/hectare resulted in a 7% yield increase. “Biostimulants are key to regenerative agriculture as they reduce the impact of climate change, optimise the use of resources, and improve biodiversity as well as farmer prosperity. The diverse range of products within the YaraAmplix portfolio are a complement to the traditional Yara crop nutrition solutions you use across the growing season, and they will enhance your crop’s natural potential while working in harmony with nature,” says Chris Harrold, Yara’s Head of Crop Nutrition Agronomy.
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