Efficacy of Foliar and Seed Applied Biofertilizers in Dryland Wheat
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 17, Issue 2 - December 2024
Editor: Linda Chalker-Scott
Abstract
Biological products, such as biofertilizers, are increasingly being marketed to the agricultural industry to improve crop nutrient efficiency. Most biofertilizer products were initially developed for use in corn and soybeans and have not been investigated as intensively in winter wheat or in the arid growing regions of the inland Pacific Northwest. Two biofertilizer products, Envita and Fresh Tracks Universal Microbes (FT), were examined in soft white winter wheat in North Central Oregon during the 2022-2023 crop year. Envita is a foliar applied nitrogen fixing bacteria, while FT is applied with seed and contains several strains of bacteria to increase nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur availability to the crop. Neither biofertilizer tested provided a significant response or a positive return on investment, possibly impacted by drought during grain development. More years of research are needed to see if biofertilizers may provide a significant response under different environmental conditions, especially in dryland cropping systems that experience high levels of variability in precipitation between years. Additional years of research at multiple locations need to be completed with biofertilizers before farmers should consider widely using them.
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