Last month I talked about crop stress, so this time I will be explaining how that problem can be overcome.

It has been shown that introducing organic matter in soil improves the resilience of all crops to stress events.

Over the years, it is undoubtedly true that there has been a steady decline in soil organic matter and, with the increase in higher fertiliser use, reduced quality and uniformity of produce, compacted soils, requiring more horsepower and increased susceptibility to stress events.

Crop stress programs are designed to provide cost-effective ways to get the benefits of soil health when crops are under stress. They target these key areas which research has shown improves crops resilience to stress events:

• Microbial Activity & Diversity: Increased soil biological diversity and activity helps to build a healthier soil that is better at sustaining plant growth, improving nutrient cycling, soil stability and disease suppression.
• Active carbon: Humates/fulvates are the most active component of soil organic matter and are a cost-effective way to get the benefits of soil health. Humates increase water retention, improve soil structure, buffer against salinity and toxins, improve soil microbial activity and much more.
• Energise the Plant – Heat & cold stressed crops benefit from kelp and bio-stimulants which improves root growth and photosynthesis to makes plants more resilient.

It is important to understand when stress events occur for specific crops, and when to apply an appropriate stimulant program. We are fortunate that there are a growing number of products available, crop specific biological programmes, that can alleviate the dangers of crop stress.