Farms.com Home   News

Researcher believes plant growth regulators are worth a try

Research being conducted on plant growth regulators (PGR) show the product can help a cereal crop but there are no guarantees.

There has been increased use of these products on the prairies, according to Dr. Breanne Tidemann, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based in Lacombe, Alta.

Tidemann said PGRs are chemicals that are applied to plants that change how they grow. In western Canadian agriculture, it is typically used to shorten the plants and then reduce their chance of lodging in field crops.

“Wheat and barley in particular are the two that we’re using them on, and the goal is to be able to up nitrogen rates and still get some increased yield, but not get the increased height with the plants falling every which way that we sometimes see when we do that,” Tidemann said.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

Seed Starting in the New Greenhouse | Gathering My Supplies and Sowing Seeds

Video: Seed Starting in the New Greenhouse | Gathering My Supplies and Sowing Seeds

I'm starting to gather my seed starting supplies and preparing early for a busy season in my new greenhouse. December is a great time to get my gear organized and go through a dry run or two with a few flats of cool-season lettuce seeds sown to germinate and grow up all in the greenhouse.Cultivation in a greenhouse is an amazing and very effective way of growing seedlings and plants. But, it’s not automatic. There’s a lot to learn, and more variables at play that can wipe your inventory out overnight! So for now, I’m taking it in stride, and learning my way through this new and amazing opportunity, eyes wide open, and as prepared as possible..