Laboratory and Field Evaluation of Maize Performance With and Without a Bio-Stimulant Based Seed Treatment.

The root systems of sixteen maize plants were imaged non-destructively over a four week period (three through six weeks after germination) using soft-tissue X-ray imaging. Eight of the plants were from seeds treated with three commercial fungicides and an insecticide. The remaining eight were from seeds treated with the same three fungicides and an insecticide plus a new pre-commercial bio-stimulant seed-treatment formulation. The bio-stimulant formulation is based upon a plant extract from a terrestrial plant. Maize root system architecture traits were extracted from the X-ray images for comparisons of the root systems’ development over time with and without the bio-stimulant.

Measures of total root length, root area, root density and root system distribution by depth were quantified over time. At the conclusion of the experiment total maize leaf area, maize plant height, above ground biomass and below ground biomass were also measured. These results were then combined with yield results from ten field trials conducted across the USA. Laboratory trials show that bio-stimulant treated plants had increased measured early growth stage properties and field trials show that bio-stimulant treated plants had increased yield.