For something that's been around longer than dinosaurs, mycorrhizae don't get a lot of screen time. These fungi have been helping plants survive since the first green things dared to crawl onto dry land - some 450 million years ago. And yet, in modern ag, especially in the sterilized world of soilless cultivation, they're often absent. That may be an issue because without them, roots are basically on their own, working overtime to pull nutrients from media that's been stripped of the microbiome nature originally designed to help.

Alive or just lying there?
Not all mycorrhizal products are created equal. Some contain spores that can actually colonize roots and handle environmental stress, others not so much. And if the spores aren't viable, you're basically sprinkling expensive wishful thinking onto your crops. That is why it's essential to rely on a mode of production that delivers the mycorrhizae growers need.

Martin Trépanier, Scientific Expert Director of Active Ingredients at Premier Tech, puts it plainly: "We built the world's largest endomycorrhizal inoculum production facility in 2000 and industrialized the process. The spores we produce don't just sit pretty, they colonize roots like they mean it." Unlike setups that rely on greenhouse-grown mycorrhizae (which often don't make it through production alive), their process is done in a sterile, highly controlled environment. "When it comes to consistency, it's exactly what you want," Martin remarks.

Why just one species?
Years back, Premier Tech picked a few strains of mycorrhizae out of the soil and started running trials. After a lot of testing, they landed on Rhizophagus irregularis, previously known as Glomus intraradices. Geneviève Lachance, Project Manager of Active Ingredients at Premier Tech, explains: "We'd rather have one species that works almost everywhere than mix a cocktail of others that only perform in specific conditions." Sometimes less is more, especially when the "less" is proven to function across multiple growing environments.

A fungi with follow-through
Field trials have shown Rhizophagus irregularis is better than most at helping plants absorb nutrients, especially phosphorus, and it doesn't hoard it either. Instead of treating phosphorus like a dragon guarding treasure, it actually shares it with the plant. Félix LaRoche-Johnston, Innovation, Research & Development Manager at Premier Tech, adds: "It's adapted to a wide range of pH levels, and its cooperative nutrient transfer behavior makes it stand out. It's efficient, and it doesn't waste time."

Premier Tech's AGTIV® REACH™ line is where this all comes together. It's built around Rhizophagus irregularis, and the idea is simple: better roots, better plants. Whether used as an inoculant or blended into their PRO-MIX® media, it helps plants absorb more water and nutrients, handle stress better, and generally act like they've got their act together.

"It also chips in with soil structure, helps with nutrient cycling (phosphorus, zinc, manganese, copper- basically the VIPs), and makes sure your crop doesn't just survive, but thrives without constantly needing babysitting," Martin concludes.

Source: www.floraldaily.com