Poncho Votivo 2.0 Improves Soil Health
Poncho/Votivo, a seed treatment from Bayer Crop Science, is not new. Indiana corn growers have been using it for years to control corn rootworm and other pests. Now, a new formulation does more than just control insects. Poncho/Votivo 2.0 not only protects young corn plants from insects, but helps improve the soil in the root zone. Jennifer Riggs, with Bayer, stated, “What we are doing with 2.0 is making the soil around that plant root more productive. It provides a stabilized enzyme into the soil around the seed. This helps feed the native microbial population.” This helps improve the soil microbes in the root zone and improves overall soil health. “We forget about soil needing to be alive, and soil does need to be alive,” said Riggs. She added that new biologic bacterium enhances the microbial activity in the soil increasing the availability of nutrients for the plant. This while also protecting the young seed from pests at a very critical stage.
In a year when growers are watching every input dollar they spend, Riggs says Poncho/Votivo 2.0 is worth a look, “We are seeing a 3.8 bpa yield increase on top of what Poncho/Votivo has brought you in the past. That is a total of 14 bushels benefit to the Indiana corn grower.”
For more details, contact your Bayer representative.