When you see signs of disease in your crop, you know it is caused by a pathogenic microorganism, most likely a microscopic fungus. If you see plants affected by disease, this means that pathogens have dominated the competition between soil microorganisms in your crop this time. We emphasise that ‘dominated’ is in the past tense! Disease symptoms on plants are a consequence of the previous dominance of pathogens. While the plants are small, we do not see the microscopic pathogens with our own eyes, and the damage is noticed much later when the disease needs to be stopped, but the damage to the crop has already been done.

Why do pathogens so often win? 

Like nature and all plants, soil microorganisms live according to natural cycles, and seasonality has a major impact on the vital functions of microorganisms. For example, in winter, when the soil temperature drops below +5 °C, vegetation stops as there is nothing to feed soil microorganisms, so the population of functional bacteria decreases. Pathogenic fungi are more resistant to the temperature environment and can grow at temperatures as low as -6 °C. Thus, winter is a favourable time for the development of pathogens in crops. And spring crops are sown in such a field! Due to the imbalance created by the changing seasons pathogens develop in the soil more easily in such an environment, because there is less resistance, which means that diseases are more likely to occur and the crop is more likely to be damaged.

‘Living soil’ is not enough

Millions of microorganisms live in one dessertspoon of soil. They form colonies whether they have their own functions and do something. If it were not for the active microorganisms, soil elements and their compounds would not be able to provide benefits by themselves. What is a ‘living soil’? Let’s go back to that million in a teaspoon for a moment: each microorganism has its own specific function and not all of them are necessarily beneficial to the plant! Fungal pathogens – the microscopic fungi that cause plant diseases (Puccinia spp. – rust, Fusarium spp. – fusariosis, Septoria sp. – septoriosis, Blumeria sp. – powdery mildew, Bipolaris sp. – brown spot, Verticillium sp. – verticillosis, Sclerotinia sp. – sclerotinia rot, etc.) – are life too! Thus, a viable soil does not in itself mean a functionally efficient, let alone a healthy soil. Pathogens exist naturally in the soil, but they do not have to dominate it!

Fighting plant pathogens

By adapting to the microbiological seasonality of the crop, we can restore the population of functional bacteria in the soil that fight against pathogens with the bacterial preparation Biomas PROTECT.  The bacteria will multiply in the root zone, form a protective barrier and safeguard the root zone from pathogens, and therefore the plants will develop healthier. Special functional bacteria in the soil will provide effective competition to pathogens. Biomas PROTECT works against a wide range of fungal pathogen genera such as Fusarium, Verticillium, Botrytis, Bipolaris and others. The product consists of microorganisms isolated from Lithuanian soil.

Spray the crop after emergence (when technological cankers are already visible) until the end of tillering (until BBCH 29).

Price: EUR 14 + VAT / ha. Buy:

on the Bioversio website. All payment methods are available. Delivery within 1-3 working days.