A research study showed an increase in strawberry yields and profits thanks to microbes that stimulate plant growth.
By Emily Topper and Amber Jurgensen
They’re nicknamed nibblers: small skinny strawberries that look more like fingers than juicy pieces of fruit.
Last season, they dotted the fields of many Plant City farms thanks to warm weather in November and December and heavy rains in January. Because of their appearance, nibblers can’t be picked, which means they can’t be packaged — which means they can’t be sold.
But this season, Pathway BioLogic is committed to increasing growers’ profits by increasing the number of strawberry flats picked each season.
Plant City-based Pathway BioLogic, along with Holden Research, just released the findings of a six-month study using bacteria to grow healthier plants. The study resulted in 24% more flats picked per season and a 22% profit increase for growers.
The results can be a game changer in the agricultural community, said Mike Gans, Pathway BioLogic’s director of operations for agriculture.
How Did They Do It?
In April, Dave Holden, an independent researcher with Holden Research, completed a paid research study analyzing the use of Pathway BioLogic’s microbial inoculants.
Microbial inoculants are soil microbes, or beneficial bacteria or fungi, that promote plant growth through several ways: by breaking down nutrients into a more dissolvable form; aiding in the production of plant hormones; or suppressing various crop pests.
Pathway BioLogic’s microbial inoculants are rhizobacteria, a bacteria that lives on plant roots. Rhizobacteria, more commonly known as PGPR, make the nutrients easier for the plant to use when it needs them by breaking down nutrients and holding those nutrients in the root zone longer.
In the study, Holden used PGPR on strawberries in Oxnard, California. Microbial inoculants were injected in the plants through drip irrigation.
“It’s all about the ease of application,” Howard Johnson, Pathway BioLogic’s technical sales representative, said.
The result was 2,626 flats per acre per season — up from 2,122 flats per acre per season. That’s almost $3,000 more per acre per season.
Pathway BioLogic had first tested the microbial inoculants in its own greenhouse before it asked Holden Research to complete the study as part of the paid research trial. Pathway BioLogic provided Holden Research with the protocol and product.
“Everything we produce comes out of this facility,” Gans said about Pathway BioLogic’s Tever Street laboratory.
The Next Step
Though Holden Research used the microbial inoculants on strawberries, the procedure can be used on all crops, from blueberries to corn to peppers.
According to Pathway BioLogic, “modern farming practices have depleted naturally-occurring populations of microbial bacteria in our soils. By the reintroduction of naturally-occurring beneficial bacteria and fungi into the soil, Pathway’s products can help overcome this issue and bring crops back up to their potential.”
“The agricultural industry is shifting,” Gans said. “(Farmers are) beginning to grow differently as a necessity. They’re looking at how to get more out of their inputs.”
With the research study showing an increase in both crop yields and profits, Gans is ready to take the microbial inoculants to a bigger market by distribution. Pathway BioLogic has already distributed its product to growers in Florida, Maine, California and Colorado.
“It’s new product development,” Gans said. “We feel good about the products on the market today, but we’re only beginning to scratch the surface. Everything starts in the lab. Every product we build goes through that process.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
