Biostimulant Awareness High, But Lacking in Confidence
UK-based biostimulant developer, SugaROx, commissioned a survey of UK wheat producers this year to learn growers’ awareness and perceptions regarding the use of biostimulants in agricultural production. The survey demonstrated a fairly high level of awareness of biostimulants and how they function in crop systems, but also revealed some significant disconnects.
- Cost-effectiveness was one of the primary barriers to wider adoption – growers didn’t feel they had a clear understanding of the benefits of biostimulants in relation to the added input cost.
- A lack of information and reliable performance data on biostimulant products was also high on the list of concerns.
The results indicated that a solid regulatory framework that yielded clear data to support product claims would be highly beneficial, as three-quarters of the respondents would consider adding new biostimulants to their input programs if the advantage was clear.
You can read more about the SugROx survey here.
Champion Pumpkins Spawn Elaborate Quest for Champion Seeds
We love a good seed story; thus, Roshan Fernandez’s recent article in the Wall Street Journal about growers of giant pumpkins was a fun story about how the best varieties have achieved superstar status. Competitive pumpkin growing has been somewhat of a horticultural sport for generations, but in more recent decades, the quest for growing the world’s largest cucurbit has growers performing some elaborate pedigree breeding, resulting in seeds that can sell for over $1,000 at high-stakes seed auctions. The race to develop giant varieties has seen the world record for the heaviest pumpkin broken 21 times since 1993 – including this year’s champion, a 2,819-pounder grown by twin brothers, Ian and Stuart Paton. There is even a really cool Pumpkin Genetics website developed by Andy Corbin with over 50,000 pumpkin seed entries and their breeding histories.
The competitive pumpkin-growing community is also a philanthropic lot, as they often give their seeds away to fellow growers and competitors.
