Helm Agro is bringing two products with proprietary formulations to the market as part of its growing Plant Advantage lineup. Helm leaders say just as important as the products being differentiated in the market, the company is stepping up with education to advance the proper placement of biological products in the field with timing and applications.
The company hosts Helm Masterclass events for retail and distribution partners.
“One of the biggest obstacles to adoption of biologicals is their previous inconsistency in performance,” says Tim Eyrich, product development manager for Plant Advantage portfolio. “And if you miss the time window for when these products will work with the plants, they are not the best fit. So we are promoting more education about the key physiological growth stages and, therefore, a better understanding of exactly how to place them to perform consistently.”
Scyon
With a unique formulation of four nutrients—nitrogen, potassium, manganese and zinc—Scyon is a metabolite formulation to provide better nutrient use efficiency, energy production and vitality.
Eyrich says Scyon has three key attributes:
- It has strong nutrient use efficiency. “We’re the pipe cleaner of the plant nitrate pipeline,” he says. “When nitrate comes into the plant, it’s converted to amino acids, which are converted to proteins. Scyon helps the plant do that in three sites within the process and provides multifunction benefits.”
- The metabolite complex of the nutrients helps the plant maintain overall vitality to mitigate abiotic stress.
- Scyon helps bring carbon into the plant, which is a way to create essential energy in the crop.
Scyon is foliar-applied with application timing during the early vegetative and reproduction phase.
“We also see benefits in wheat for an earlier timed application—just before jointing. That helps drive plant structure and plant vitality,” Eyrich says.
He adds the product is 100% liquid concentrate with a two-year storage guarantee.
The technology in Scyon has been used in the U.K. for three years in small grains.
“We have shown how we get a broad spectrum of nutrient use efficiency,” he says. “What’s key in this is understanding the mode of action and how to physically prove it. Creating yield is a stress on the plant in itself. By understanding the plant physiology, we can provide the plant with additional support to support the yield increase.”
Scyon is labeled in many states—with more registrations coming. Helm targets Scyon for use in fruits and vegetables as well as row crops. Specific to its row crop applications, it can be tank-mixed with a fungicide application.
aCalsa SC
As a proprietary calcium nutritional in a phosphite formulation, aCalsa SC provides the plant with calcium and a small amount of phosphorus.
“Calcium does amazing things in a plant. It is a signaling agent when a plant goes into stress, and it has a huge role in energy production to bring CO2 into the plant as it converts carbohydrates and amino acids,” Eyrich explains. “By understanding the plant physiology, we can provide the plant with additional support to support the yield increase.”
He says aCalsa SC provides four key benefits:
- Plant integrity
- Fruit quality
- Fruit retention
- Abiotic stress mitigation
“Calcium can be a limiting factor on getting to yield goals,” he says.
Application timing is reproductive stages to fruit or kernel development. The markets being targeted include peanuts, specialty crops, apples and canola. Eyrich adds aCalsa SC has a market in high-yielding row crops.
