canola in manitoba

Farmer interest growing in plant biostimulants

Companies hope to fill an existing 'knowledge gap' about the purpose of these products

Glacier FarmMedia — At 2 p.m. on July 17, Ryan Bonnett and many other people at the Ag In Motion farm show near Langham were seeking a place in the shade. The temperature was around 30 C and the word “hot” came up in most conversations at the show. The afternoon temperature was also on […] Read more


Farmers put promises to the test

Farmers put promises to the test

New products potentially improve standability and yields

Central-Alberta farmer Scott Keller is anxious to see what his malt barley will do this year as he applies increased fertility along with a plant growth regulator (PGR). Keller, who has pretty good success in growing barley that achieves malt quality on his farm near New Norway in Camrose County, generally holds back on applying […] Read more

Rural landscape with wheat field on sunset

Slowing growth to prevent lodging

Should you invest in a plant growth regulator for your cereal crops this season?

Where there’s enough moisture and high fertility levels, lodging can still be a major yield constraint. In cereal crops, plant growth regulators (PGRs) have been shown to produce shorter stems to reduce lodging and maintain grain yields. Researchers in Alberta are trying to optimize PGR use to prevent lodging and improve standability and harvestability in […] Read more


These changes in height and lodging rates were found on irrigated land at Lethbridge in 2015.

Researchers put PGRs to the test

Alberta researchers find that PGRs impact different wheat varieties in different ways

The perception that all hard red wheat varieties respond equally to plant growth regulators doesn’t hold up in the field, according to an Alberta Agriculture and Forestry researcher. “We’ve looked at several different hard reds that have a height reduction, but they don’t have the improvement in standability that we need,” Dr. Sheri Strydhorst told […] Read more

farmer standing in front of grain bin

Western farmers watching PGR

Several plant growth regulators are now on offer. Farmer Panel members we interviewed aren’t jumping in with both feet, but they are watching research results

Not all western Canadian farmers are lining up to be among the first testing the effectiveness of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on their farms this year. Producers contacted for the February Farmer Panel says they are interested in the potential of the treatment that can help reduce lodging in cereals and perhaps increase yields, but […] Read more


test plots of seeded wheat

Plant growth regulators

They’re not new, but plant growth regulators 
are not yet common on the Canadian Prairies

Prairie farmers might be seeing ads for plant growth regulators for the first time, but PGR’s are not new. “They’ve been using them in Europe for over 30 years,” Tom Tregunno, Engage Agro’s product manager, told farmers at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF) Crop Management field day in July. Plant growth regulators are […] Read more