As 2023 planting draws ever nearer, you’re likely putting the finishing touches on your plans to maximize the potential of your crops.

BUT WHAT CAN YOU ADD TO MAKE THE MOST IMPACT IN YOUR PROGRAM?

Numerous companies are inundating the landscape with claims that their products are the absolute best in the market.

WHAT MAKES HEFTY SEED DIFFERENT?

Decades of ongoing relationships with the most knowledgeable experts in the industry and rigorous repeated testing of products in full-field situations have led us to integrate plant growth hormones (PGRs) into the cropping strategies we recommend for ourselves and farmers across the country.

Believe it or not, plant growth hormone products have been in the market since the early 2000s and are now applied to millions of acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and other small grains and row crops each year.

Individual products can augment many different plant functions, from speeding up metabolization of herbicide to increasing the efficiency of reproductive processes. For these reasons and more, we think you should take a much closer look at these products as a tool to increase the net return from your acres in 2023.

ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PLANT HORMONE PRODUCTS WE SEE GROWERS FINDING SUCCESS WITH IS MEGAGRO.

This product is EPA-registered, plus it is patented as a glyphosate safener as it helps maintain growth while also speeding up how plants metabolize the herbicide. It combines two hormones, 3-indolebutyric acid (IBA) and kinetin. The inclusion of a high dose of IBA makes this an auxin-dominant product.

Generally speaking, when you spray any plant growth hormone, what you’re doing is creating a hormone imbalance that the plant must react to by generating additional hormones to balance the effects of that application. Since MegaGro is an auxin-dominant hormone package, the application is naturally telling plants to create more vegetative hormones, leading to the creation of more roots and root hairs, generating a larger network within the soil to bring in water and essential nutrients for the plant.

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT USING A PGR WITH HERBICIDE APPLICATIONS?

When plants metabolize herbicide, that process requires them to consume additional energy. The faster a plant can process herbicide, the sooner the plant can go back to putting energy into vegetive and reproductive growth. This is where our research shows MegaGro brings the biggest gains.

In 2022, we saw an average gain of 4.2 bushels in corn and 1.9 bushels in soybeans versus the check. With new crop 2023 cash prices, that’s a 5:1 ROI in both crops simply by adding the PGR package to the post herbicide tank. For more than 10 years, data in both corn and soybeans has shown similar performance with MegaGro. In addition to being a glyphosate safener, MegaGro is labeled as a tank mix partner for both Xtendimax and Enlist applications – but no matter what herbicide you’re spraying over your crops, MegaGro should be in the tank.

Of all the products in the Hefty Naturals portfolio, this is the one that most readily checks all the boxes for ease and simplicity of integration – just add it to any in-season herbicide pass.

ANOTHER PGR WE’RE SEEING PROVIDE CONSISTENT RETURNS IS INERTIA.

Inertia is a combination of kinetin, gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA), and choline chloride and is applied as plants are making or are about to make the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth.

Breaking down the components, kinetin is a hormone naturally produced in plants that helps them make the switch into reproduction by telling them to produce more flowers and pollen. It also improves pollen viability and seed retention. GABA and choline chloride then help with chlorophyll development and driving energy efficiency to fill out the additional fruiting bodies created by kinetin.

TOGETHER IN INERTIA, THESE HORMONES COMPRISE A GREAT TOOL TO HELP PROMOTE TOPEND YIELD IN CORN OR SOYBEANS AS THESE CROPS BEGIN THEIR REPRODUCTIVE PHASE.

Timing is critical for success with Inertia. In corn, the best timing is just prior to tassel emergence through beginning pollen shed; in soybeans, Inertia should be applied around R1-R2.

In our 2022 corn trials, we saw yield increases of anywhere from eight to fifteen bushels over the check. In soybeans, we averaged just under three bushels over the check. Inertia can be mixed with fungicides and insecticides and is a great tank mix partner in those passes.

When we look at all the different categories of available Naturals products in terms of both in-field performance and ROI, the plant growth hormone space is the most consistent. So, if you are new to the Naturals market and want to make a gain in ROI and yield on your farm, this area would be a great place to start. These products are easy to use, EPA-registered, are applied to millions of acres in the U.S., and provide great returns for our customers. As more and more growers come to understand the potential of what PGRs can do for their crops, we only expect that trend to continue to grow in 2023 and beyond.

For more information about how MegaGro and Inertia have been successful on farms in your area or to learn more about where best to try them on your acres this season, talk to your Hefty Agronomist.