Part-2 — How BiOWiSH^® Enhanced Fertilizer Provides Successful, Consistent Results for an Array of Global Agricultural Operations

Part 2: Climates – Product Success in Diverse Agronomic and Climatic Settings Around the World

In addition to complementing a wide variety of crops, as discussed in Part 1 of this blog series, BiOWiSH^® Enhanced Fertilizer is also designed to be used in different agronomic systems around the world with varying climates, soil types, management practices, and economic considerations. BiOWiSH Technologies has conducted more than a decade’s worth of research and studies to prove its stability and efficacy across different geographies with varying growing conditions.

Below is a comparison of two BiOWiSH^® rice case studies in China and California. While they share similar farming goals, these rice growers have extremely different factors to consider – yet experienced comparable yield and successful results using the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement.

Proven Efficacy in Rice Grown Across Varying Climatic Regions: China vs. California

While rice is grown in many areas of the world, the physical requirements necessary for success limit it to specific areas. Key requirements include a plentiful supply of water and a level land surface to facilitate uniform flooding and drainage. However, soil type, climatic conditions, management practices, and economic considerations still vary significantly. The following studies, conducted in vastly different geographies and temperate zones, demonstrate the consistency and efficacy of the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement on rice, despite these differences. One study took place in Shuangcheng District, Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China and the other in Marysville, California.

Situation

The purpose of the studies performed in China and California was to test the effect of the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement coated onto dry fertilizer to create an Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer (EEF) as part of a reduced fertility rate (N optimized) program for rice production, compared to the standard regional fertility program and application rate.

Climatic Differences

Harbin, the capital of the Heilongjiang province located in northeast China, has a continental climate, influenced by the Asian monsoon. It experiences freezing, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. The summer heat is not as constant as it is in central or southern China.

On the other hand, Marysville, California is located 80 miles (130 km) from the Pacific Ocean, just north of Sacramento. Located in the Gold Country region of Northern California, its climate can be defined as Mediterranean, with mild and rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

The climate charts below include data from Harbin (left) and Sacramento (right), showing minimum and maximum temperatures and precipitation totals by month. The precipitation totals (green bars) are drastically different and essentially inversed between the locations. Paying attention to the temperature scale, and the space between the max (red curve) and min (blue curve), Harbin’s temperatures are much colder than Sacramento’s.

Results

Regardless of climates variations and associated management practice differences, the results of both the Shuangcheng District and Marysville research studies revealed that the addition of BiOWiSH^® to an N optimized fertility program improved soil conditions for increased plant vigor, which enabled optimized yield potential by improved nutrient uptake. Both locations realized an increase in yield for the BiOWiSH^® treatments, despite the reduction in fertilizer, which ultimately led to an increase in profit.

Global Meta-Analysis of Third-Party Rice Studies Using BiOWiSH^®

Rice growers around the world have also realized the advantages of the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement. A meta-analysis of all BiOWiSH independent third-party research data revealed that adding BiOWiSH^® to a rice fertility program results in a win, or yield advantage, 87% of the time with an average yield uplift of 9.9%.

BiOWiSH^® Delivers Consistent Performance in Cereal Crops Across the Globe

Research also shows similar success when adding BiOWiSH^® Enhanced Fertilizer to both corn and wheat crops in various climatic regions worldwide.

Crop Liquid Trials on Corn, Rice, and Wheat by Geographic Region

The below half-violin chart displays the distribution of yield uplifts in all third-party research trials using BiOWiSH^® as part of a fertility program for corn, rice, and wheat across the globe, by geographic region. The results illustrate that the vast majority of trials had positive and consistent yield uplifts across the diverse geographic regions as a result of BiOWiSH^® Enhanced Fertilizer. Each dot within the shaded area represents the results of a single trial, with 85.4% of the trials achieving a positive yield uplift.

The blue dot to the right of the shaded areas is the mean yield uplift for each geographic region, with a 90% confidence interval ─meaning that BiOWiSH^®, with a high degree of confidence or probability, can be expected to deliver a positive yield result.

The overall shape of the curves demonstrates that the trials have similar yield uplifts within and across geographic regions. The pattern also reveals the consistency and stability of BiOWiSH^® performance and that the statistics are not skewed by a few trials with unusually high yield uplifts.

The table below provides a summary of this corn, rice, and wheat trials meta-analysis, revealing the average yield uplift for each geographic region when using BiOWiSH^® Enhanced Fertilizer. In these 281 trials, BiOWiSH^® optimized yield potential by improved nutrient uptake with an average yield increase of 7.2% over the Control fertility program.

The abundance of research on the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement – revealing an 85.4% win-rate across these regions for corn, rice, and wheat – indicates that BiOWiSH^® can deliver consistent performance under a range of climatic and agronomic conditions.

By continuously conducting research trials across a broad range of geographies and climatic conditions, BiOWiSH^® is helping the agricultural industry gain confidence in the performance of biological products, while helping growers make the most of their fertilizer investments.

The next post, Part 3: Management Practices – Supporting Diverse Operations Through Fertilizer Choice and Compatibility, concludes this series by highlighting how the BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement is flexible and versatile to support diverse farming operations and management practices. Learn how BiOWiSH^® Fertilizer Enhancement’s product compatibility, rate flexibility, and tailored application timing can support and boost profit in any operation.