Minimizing crop stress with micronutrients: Agronomics

When plants are stressed they produce “reactive oxygen species” (ROS). Plants manage ROS with specific enzymes, many of which require micronutrients for activity. In the case of herbicide tolerant crops, the application of herbicide kills weeds in the crop but also stresses the crop for a time. The proposed work will test the hypothesis that crop plants will be better able to deal with stress resulting from herbicide application, when they are given additional micronutrients, in the form of Axter products spray-applied to crop leaves. The crops used in this work will be soybean and corn. The herbicide evaluated will be glyphosate. We will investigate the interaction between herbicide stress and micronutrients under field conditions. The results of this work will enhance our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the efficacy of Axter products, leading to improved application of Axter products and development of improved formulations or products.

Faculty Supervisor:

Donald Smith

Student:

Ameet Pall

Partner:

Axter Agroscience Inc

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

McGill University