Latest News - Engage

Engage Agro, a leading supplier of crop enhancement products, is rebranding as Engage Crop Solutions as it embarks on an ambitious new period of international growth.

After a record 2022, which saw significant growth, Engage is targeting new overseas markets and is bringing a range of innovative solutions to growers while also expanding its team.

To support the growth of the business, Engage has moved into a new head office with expanded production facilities in Chorley, Lancashire, and has also launched a new website to reflect their global ambitions.

Engage already operates in 26 countries around the world and is a leading foliar nutrition and biostimulants company, known for innovation in the European fruit industry with products such as Aqualatus, Aqualatus Ca, Fortify Cu and Bio-Chel Ca.

In 2023, the business is aiming to bring its crop technologies to new markets, providing solutions to some of the biggest challenges growers face around the world.

This includes the innovative Aqualatus water technology that helps growers to cut water use by as much as 50% – a major opportunity for water-stressed nations around the world.

Managing director of Engage, Peter Blezard, says: “Over the past 10 years Engage has been evolving from a fertiliser company in 2012 to biotech solutions business, focused on developing platform nutrition and biostimulatory technologies to meet the global challenges facing agriculture.

“Our solutions have huge potential to help growers overcome some of the biggest challenges they face, from climate change and soaring input costs to finding ways to deliver improved yields while cutting back on critical inputs, such as water.

“2022 saw us have our best season yet with Engage sales increasing across the world by 40% and saw us trading in 26 countries on six continents. With Agriculture facing significant challenges, I know Engage has a significant part to play in supporting farmers and growers as demand increases for food security in an ever-increasing market.”

Engage agronomists are experts in nutrition and are key to is continued success as they offer support and advice to growers to help address their biggest problems.

Engage is working with leading agricultural PR agency Red Stag Media to help bring the solutions to key markets around the world.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

A leading crop technology firm is inspiring agronomists and growers to think differently in the fight against blight and other potato diseases by focusing on plant health rather than the reliance of pesticides.
Engage Crop Solutions, leaders in crop solution nutrition, has developed a complete nutrition programme that invigorates the health of the potato plant, so it is equipped to limit susceptibility to critical diseases, rather than rely on conventional pesticides to kill off potential threats.

With the number of pesticides that are available to growers being dramatically cut, Engage has been working to create a range of new technologies to help overcome the issue and help reverse the trend of potato growers cutting back on crops.

Agronomist and director of Engage, Andy Aspinall, says “optimising crop health” will be key to the future of profitable potato crops. He explains:

“Just 5-10 years ago, potato growers had numerous pesticides at their disposal. They now have far less in their armoury and that means we need to think ‘outside the box’ and take a new approach.

“The potato plant is under attack from at least 75 diseases and nonparasitic disorders, many of which consistently cause yield losses.

“With fewer chemical options available to fight the diseases, we need to instead look at building resilience into the crop. This process is critical as growers work to protect the potato plant and secure the maximum yield.”

Engage have been running field trials focused on the reduction of susceptibility to potato blight as it is one of the most feared fungal diseases of potato and is spread worldwide in all major potato growing areas.

The trials have been used to develop three unique formulations that provide key elements and maximise the plants health processes. These are Fortify Cu, Bio-Chel Ca and Sentinel and they are applied as part of the normal spray routine.

In 12 trials across the UK and Ireland over the past five years, the programme from Engage has consistently proven to significantly reduce the incidence of or completely prevent infections from blight.

In the most recent trial during the challenging summer of 2022, a full programme of application was applied to a test crop while the control received a normal spray routine. The test crop saw a 6.4% increase in marketable yield but, crucially, the plant made higher levels of chlorophyll, was stronger, and critically, free of disease. The control crop had lower chlorophyll levels, were visibly weaker and although were not infected with blight did show widespread early signs of the bacterium, blackleg.

Fortify Cu maximises vascular flow and cellular processes to support crop health and limit damage from abiotic and biotic stress factors while Sentinel is a unique liquid stabilised silicic acid that delivers high amounts of available silicon nutrient to increase cellular growth potential and strength to support the health of the crop.

Calcium is the essential element for potato tuber growth and storage and Bio-Chel Ca is unlike any other calcium source as it is completely available to the plant. The plant is able to draw calcium in at higher levels than other calcium products and ensures the growing plant doesn’t need to rely stored calcium in the tuber. Andy adds:

“This unique programme shows we can nutritionally equip potato plants to be far healthier to reduce the potential of infection from disease and address a key challenge of the limiting the use of pesticides.

“Plus, these advanced inputs have been designed to deliver nutrients and have secondary benefits to the health of the plant. For example, the silicon in Sentinel strengthens the plant but also utilises salicylic acid as this aids in silicon movement and keeps it mobile for longer. Salicylic acid has a secondary benefit as the plant can use to support its own salicylic production which will bolster its immune system.

“Similarly, Fortify Cu has a naturally high negative charge which elevates the leaf’s own negative charge, helping prevent pathogens passing into the leaves so readily. Bio-Chel Ca has a lower pH and is high in plant lignin and sugars which plants can use so it softens the leaf wax and stimulates leaves and roots to take up more of the available calcium.

“Many potato growers are considering scaling back because of the challenges they face but advanced solutions like these will be key to ensuring we can continue to produce healthy, profitable crops and preserve food security.”

Fortify Cu

Fortify Cu assist crops by maximising vascular flow and cellular processes to limit susceptibility to stress and to support the growing crop during recuperation from both abiotic and biotic stress pressure. Consistency in trial results have shown by applying Fortify Cu as part of the growing program, will limit the plants susceptibility to pathogenic pressures.

See product page

Bio-Chel Ca

Calcium has long been known as the essential element for potatoes in both the production of increased numbers of strong and healthy growth, and for maximising dry matter to ensure optimal shelf life/storage, and reducing the risk of calcium related disorders such as internal rust spot. The mobility of calcium is always an issue and many supplementary calcium fertiliser products contain nutrients that make them difficult to use when calcium demand is at its highest. Bio-Chel Ca allows maximum flexibility in application and timing to ensure crops get maximum effect whenever it is required.

See product page

Sentinel

To further strengthen the haulm of the crop regular applications of Sentinel can be applied. Sentinel is a unique new silicon nutrient for foliar application to increase the strength, growth and health of the crop. Sentinel provides silicon in a form that can be accessed by plants, alongside salicylic acid to aid silicon movement and support crop health, this unique combination strengthens crops and reduced crop susceptibility to biotic stress pressure.

See product page

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

The UK fruit growers working with a transformational new water additive technology are hailing “spectacular” results after seeing water usage cut by almost 90% when rehydrating coir bags.

Aqualatus Ca, from Lancashire-based Engage Crop Solutions, is transforming how growers use water and manage crop nutrition.

One of the first to use the water technology is leading berry grower Irek Wypasek, from New Forest Fruit Co, who said Aqualatus Ca is “making massive improvements” to the way the business operates. He said:

“It is spectacular to see when you are rehydrating coir bags with Aqualatus for the first time. Just a few drops of Aqualatus makes the water bond and bind to the coir bag and it just hoovers all the water up.

“Every grower knows how much water is wasted through run-off when rehydrating coir and just how much time and energy it takes. Aqualatus has eliminated that waste and saves a huge amount of water and energy, as well as time.”

Trials using the unique polymer-blend of Aqualatus Ca have shown that growers can use 88% less water when wetting coir slabs and that also delivers significant savings in the energy needed to run the irrigation cycles.

Commercial Director at Engage Crop Solutions, Mark Horner, says Aqualatus Ca is bringing a host of benefits to UK growers as the industry faces spiralling input costs. He explains:

“The Aqualatus technology has been trialled with growers around the world for the past 10 years and we have seen significant results, both in terms of water savings and in crop and yield quality.

“The introduction of Aqualatus Ca to UK fruit growers this year has been a huge success. It has not only transformed how they rehydrate coir bags, but also how they buffer the coir slabs during the hydration process and manage nutrition of the crop throughout the year.
“The feedback has been fantastic and it’s great to be able to help the industry find savings when everyone is facing significant pressure to help feed the nation in the face of soaring costs.”
Aqualatus Ca technology comes from the Aqualatus stable of surfactants but, unlike its predecessors, it is specifically aimed at rapid coir hydration and expansion, salt leaching and optimisation of nutritional exchange sites during the substrate hydration process.

Its unique formulation provides four polymers and wetter’s working in combination to rapidly hydrate and expand coir, eight times faster than water alone and with just 12% of normal water volume.
Within Aqualatus Ca is a substantial 18.5% calcium which during the rapid expansion catalyses the buffering process to increase the removal of levels of high cation salts naturally present in coir, allowing this to be achieved more successfully and rapidly.

Another UK grower who has trialled Aqualatus Ca, Tim Stockwell, managing director of Barnsmuir Farm in East Fife, explains: “We use more compressed coir bags due to the price, but then comes the cost and time it takes to rehydrate the bags.

“Aqualatus Ca changes that. We’ve had great results in terms of saving water and time in rehydrating coir bags. Plus, you get a much more even fill, ensuring a better spread of nutrients, and it means you can plant quicker too.”

Growers continue to use Aqualatus throughout the season too, ensuring better use of water and a more effective use of nutrients.

New Forest Fruit Co is one of the largest growers in the UK, with a turnover in excess of £20m and employing up to 600 people. Managing director Irek Wypasek adds:

“Aqualatus is making massive improvements to the business because it brings predictability and uniformity to the system.

“Because it ensures an even spread of water, nutrients and nematodes to the coir bag, it delivers consistency to your production.

“We are saving a huge amount of energy and time as a result of Aqualatus – it is making a significant difference.

“Plus, it has been instrumental in supporting plants through periods of stress like the high temperatures we saw this year. Aqualatus ensures water is always available to plants and we are also able to use much less of it in dry spells.”

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

A UK crop input specialist has created a cutting-edge technology to help solve the water shortage crisis in the Middle East by slashing billions of litres of water from use in agriculture.

Engage Crop Solutions has developed a transformational water technology called Aqualatus that allows growers to cut their water use by half while still maintaining crop quality.

The freshwater table in the Middle East is dropping by one-metre a year and the region loses an equivalent amount of water to the Dead Sea each year – that’s around 180 billion litres of water.

Experts predict the region will run out of water in less than 50 years at the current rate of use. As agriculture accounts for around 85% of water use in the Middle East, Aqualatus could save as much as 76 billion litres of freshwater a year alone.

This adds up to a potential financial saving of $135bn for agricultural businesses.

With food security back at the top of the agenda, Aqualatus can ensure growers and Governments can continue to feed the growing population in the region while still working to address one of the biggest challenges facing the Middle East, the diminishing water reserves.

A leading agricultural engineer that works across 14 countries in the Middle East, Adnan Zurba, has used Aqualatus on a range of crops. He says:

“We are in the red zone. This region faces a lot of stresses, from the heat to the soil quality but, the greatest challenge for agriculture in the Middle East is the water shortage.

“Aqualatus solves the problem and could be a critical part of the solution needed for this region.
“We’ve run trials across this region and it has proved to be a magic product, saving huge quantities of water while still delivering the crops we need.

“The war in Ukraine has cast the spotlight on the importance of food security in the region and we must find ways to grow the food we need while still protecting the precious reserves of water we have.
“We are on the brink of a green revolution, but all of the crops we need to feed people in this region require huge quantities of water.

“Aqualatus will cut the water used by agriculture in half and that will have a massive impact on the future of the region.”

Aqualatus is applied to irrigation systems and is a sophisticated blend of liquid polymers which contain billions of microscopic structures that adhere to soil particles and slow the gravitational movement of water and promotes lateral movement, thereby increasing the moisture-holding capacity of the soil.

Surface runoff and evaporation are almost completely eradicated and gravitational movement is dramatically slowed. Reducing this natural water loss allows for irrigation volumes to be much lower and timings to be shorter as the soil is more retentive.

In ten years of trials across the Middle East, Aqualatus has proved to cut water usage by 50% while maintaining or even improving plant health and crop yields.

Managing Director of Engage Crop Solutions, Peter Blezard, says: “Water has been dubbed the new ‘blue gold’ in the Middle East because the crisis is so severe.

“We have worked for 10 years to develop Aqualatus and we believe it should be a key part of the solution, ensuring agriculture can dramatically cut the amount of water it needs and helping to ensure water remains available to everyone.

“By using Aqualatus, growers can confidently cut their irrigation cycles by half and still see exceptional results without any loss of crop development, yield and quality. The technology also ensures farmers and growers can make savings in fertiliser and energy costs too by the reduction in irrigation cycles and helping to improve the soil quality.

“For the Middle East, Aqualatus could be transformational in delivering water security while also ensuring food security through crop quality, cost savings and profit growth for the growers.”

Rula Alatiyat is a Jordanian civil engineer from Dubai who first discovered Aqualatus in 2017 and has trialled it in multiple locations across the Middle East and North Africa. She says:

“There’s nothing else like Aqualatus that can deliver the same successful results. We are suffering from a severe lack of water here and Aqualatus has a big potential for this region.

“We have run a series of trials across the region and all of them have been very successful with growers using between 50-60% less water and still getting better crops.

“People in this region need to know about Aqualatus, we need to get it out there and help everyone save water as it is such a precious resource here.

“The high price of water, the shortages and the types of water available to agriculture are all very challenging. Aqualatus can change all that for growers – it is an amazing product.”

Case Study

Saving the Municipality of Dubai $152m dollars (506m dirhams)

The Municipality of Dubai can spend as much as $844,000 dollars (3.1m dirhams) a day on water during summer to maintain the parks and landscaped areas of the city.

Engage has worked with the Municipality to establish if Aqualatus could reduce water usage and ease the strain on the highly waterstressed region.

When Aqualatus was applied in a year-long trial at the Al Warqa Park, it showed that the Municipality could reduce water usage by 50% while still maintaining the lush landscapes.

It cut daily water usage in the park from 87,000 litres a day to just 43,500 litres and moisture levels remained consistently high in the root zone throughout.

When applied across the city, Aqualatus will save the Municipality of Dubai $152m dollars (506m dirhams) a year and, crucially, provide water security.

For more information on this trial, or to access more trials, please contact Mark Horner at Engage Crop Solutions at mark.horner@engagecropsolutions.com

See the Aqualatus Resource Page

Retail compost manufacturers are under continual pressure from consumer/environmental groups and social media/journalists to find a suitable long-term substitute for the damaging carbon releasing effects of removing peat, yet still maintain or improve the quality of the compost in their retail offering.

Two ingredients which are currently most commonly used in non-peat compost bags are coir (cocopeat) and green plant waste. Both have advantages, however, they also present challenging production issues which need to be overcome.

There is a Solution!

Engage Crop Solutions has been researching this important area for over two years and have now developed multiple technologies and strategies to overcome the following issues.

Coir (Cocopeat)

Virgin coir is dried to 11% moisture content for shipping around the world and although not hydrophobic can be extremely difficult and time consuming to rehydrate. Also, in many cases coir has naturally high salt levels unless prebuffered at source. Coir hydration speed, uniformity in moisture content and salt reduction in production is paramount.

Engage bespoke products/technologies, working alongside an industry partner with hundreds of tests over two years, we have proven to:

Reduce hydration times by up over 60%.
Improved retention of moisture post hydration by up to 69%
Expansion/out turn from coir blocks increased to an average of 17L of hydrated coir per 1kg of dried coir, equating to 85L per 5kg block. As coir suppliers recommendations are between 70-75L per 5kg block, this represents a 14-22% increase.
Reduction of water requirement to hydrate was consistently reduced by 25%.
Consistent reduction of salts by over 80%
All data leads to significant costs savings in production
Product designed to match your specific needs using bespoke solutions and strategies.

Green Waste

Green waste compost has significant environmental and sustainability benefits, however, a key issues are quality and consistency. Green plant waste retains much of the previous plant material makeup in terms of salts, especially heavy metals which need to be reduced to make it viable for extended use. The pH of Green waste is also an issue as it is normally above 8.0 or higher and comes with a strong buffer capacity which would be problematic when added to retail compost. This requires correction to 6.5-7.0, which is difficult to achieve.

Work by Engage focused on these two major issues during the research period and Engage products have proven to:

Significantly reduce EC/salt levels by up to 90%
Reduce pH levels consistently to 6.5-7.0
Reductions allow for higher % use in retail substrates.
All Products designed to match your specific needs/bespoke solutions and strategies.

Compost Enhancements

During the process of evaluating coir and green waste, using Engage bespoke products, the following multiple long-term benefits for the end product retail compost bag have been proven:

The reductions in pH and buffering in green waste compost, due to the formulation of products applied not only creates a better growing environment but provides longer term pH stability (up to 3 months)
The reduction of salts and heavy metals from the green waste not only support its continued use, but it will also make it a valuable part of the blend for the future.
The reduction of water and increased out turn from the coir reduces overall cost per litre of end product.
The reduction of salts in coir creates a far growing environment for plants and allows for the addition of base fertilisers to enhance plant growth further.
The hydration technologies from Engage allow for extended rewetting of up to 8 months in storage and up to 4 months in use.

Overall, by using Engage bespoke products, for compost manufacture, retail compost manufacturers will improve the quality of compost and witness production cost savings, with a premium offer to market.

To learn more about Engage bespoke compost products, how we can help compost manufacturers, meet the challenge of a peat free future and reduce costs:
Andy Aspinall – andy.aspinall@engagecropsolutions.com
+44 7780 342 041

Mike Panteli – mike.panteli@engagecropsolutions.com
+44 771 732 7246

Things are changing here at Engage as we have now changed our company name to Engage Crop Solutions Ltd.

All the Engage corporate information such as Bank Accounts, Companies House registration number, VAT number and address etc remain the same.
The bold move by the Engage team is made to highlight to company’s focus on solution-based technologies to aid and support crop growth and health and the expansion of the company’s climate change technology divisions in the UK and Spain.

Managing director of Engage, Peter Blezard, is excited about the renewed focus of the company.
“Over the past 10 years, Engage has been evolving from a fertiliser company in 2012 to a biotech solutions business, focused on developing platform nutrition and biostimulatory technologies to meet the global challenges facing agriculture.”
“2022 saw us have our best season yet with Engage sales increasing across the world and saw us trading in 26 countries on six continents. With Agriculture facing significant challenges, I know Engage has a significant part to play in supporting farmers and growers as demand grows for food security in an ever-increasing market”.

To accompany the change, Engage moved into a new head office in rural Charnock Richard, Lancashire with increased production and warehouse capacity and recently launched this brand new website, so please take a look when you have chance as it gives much more information about our technologies and insight into our work across the world.

We look forward to continuing to work with you, so if you need anything you can contact us at support@engagecropsolutions.com or call on +44 (0)1257 226590.

Important changes to note
All Engage email addresses have been updated in line with the new rebranding, so it’s worth noting the following important ones.

For agronomic and technical support in the UK, contact
Andy Aspinall – andy.aspinall@engagecropsolutions.com
07780 342 041

Mike Stoker – mike.stoker@engagecropsolutions.com
07444 387470

International sales and technical support, marketing and regulatory
Mark Horner – mark.horner@engagecropsolutions.com
07502 300 477

Accounts and Finance department
Karen Adamson – karen.adamson@engagecropsolutions.com
01257 226580

Production and logistics
Chris Panteli – chris.panteli@engagecropsolutions.com
01257 226 599

An amazing honour for Arzak ST and Engage to have his Majesty’s ambassador to Morocco on our Stand at the SIAM international trade exhibition. Also to unveil a new piece of art representing the cooperation between our two countries.

Well done to the Arzak ST team for support Engage this week.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Aqualatus (also known as Integrate) is transforming agriculture in the Middle East and across the world by helping farmers and growers cut water usage by 50% while maintaining or even improving plant health and crop yields.

Below are some resources and trials using Aqualatus:

Saving water, providing security and delivering growth

Developed by Engage Crop Solutions, Aqualatus is an innovative water saving technology and is an essential, proven scientific breakthrough in reducing water requirements, cutting costs and growing profits in parts of the world facing critical water shortages.

Download

Conserve Water, Conserve Life

Significant areas of the world are at risk of catastrophic water shortages and more parts of the world are seeing extended periods of water drought leading to a water crisis for global agriculture.

Download

Product Sheet

This product sheet gives an overview of Aqualatus, including how it works, trials data and appplication rates.

Download

Integrate Water Reduction Study – AMWAJ Landscape

The aim of the trial was to implement the use of Engage’s world leading water saving polymer liquid, Integrate, via irrigated water to landscape within two areas, one established parkland and the other a newly turfed area. The trials were very successful saving 50% on water usage.

Download to read full trials data.

Download

Trial Report and Business Case – Protected Cantaloupe

The aim of trial was to use Integrate soil polymer surfactant to reduce the water required to grow a 90 day crop of Piel de Sapo Cantaloupe melon to reduce overall cost per hectare in water, fertiliser and energy.

The data clearly shows that the use of Integrate in this trial reduced the overall duration of irrigation from 1 hour 30 minutes to 20 minutes per day. The trial concluded 77% less time irrigating, saving of up to 65% on water and a saving of over 60% on fertilisers.

Download to read full trials data.

Download

Trial Report and Business Case – Olive Trees

Water availability to Olive production in Spain has become an increasing issue over the past six years. As pressure for water increases and annual rainfall levels have receded this is placing pressure on growers in reduction of yield potential along with the possibility of caps in water usage.

The trial proved that Integrate maintains a higher moisture level at the rootzone of the tree which increased growth and yield.

Download to read full trials data.

Download

Trial Report and Business Case – Protected Vine Tomato

The aim of trial was to reduce the water required to grow a 180 day crop of vine tomatoes to reduce overall cost per hectare in water, fertiliser and energy.

The trial conclusion was over 50% less time irrigating.

Download to read full trials data.

Download

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Engage Crop Solutions, leading fruit nutrition innovators are focusing their attention on growth management for tree fruit crops seasons.

For years the fruit team at Engage have been reinforcing the benefits of their regenerative nutrient management programme to optimise and support fruit load and quality with consistency in yielding from season to season. This approach has now been extended to cover extension growth management and the removal for the requirement of expensive inhibitory growth regulants.

Work in this area began with Engage’s Spanish team in 2017 where the use of nutrient management is more widespread due to the level of control offered by irrigation and foliar supplements.

Working in tree fruit crops of peaches, apples, citrus and even vegetable fruits such as tomatoes, yielded very promising results in naturally reducing extension growth by shortening internode length and increasing stem width to support more fruit per square metre of canopy.

The work centered around nitrogen management to not only tailor nitrogen load to rootstock but also to focus more closely on nitrogen application via roots and foliar application to accurately time the nitrogen level and source to naturally stimulate specific phytohormone levels to reduce extension growth without the need for chemical regulation.

This work eventually became more foliar focused as tree fruit species responded favourably to this approach and by early 2019 a programme was developed with the development of a new nitrogen technology known as VerdeNT.

Engage have been working with several UK fruit partners to further tailor the approach to the UK climate. To date, results have been very positive and shown to replicate the southern European data.

So how does the approach work?

Well according to Mike Stoker, technical fruit lead in the UK ‘by careful management and measurement of nutrient levels throughout the season’

As with all things nutrition, management starts in the soil. A thorough essay of the nutrient bank is made and base applications, if required, are then tailored to the soil type, rootstock and nutrient load. ‘Traditionally tree fruit growers have sampled their soils every 3-5 years and many apply the same base applications as a matter of course without realising that they may be creating or compounding issues that may affect fruit load or tree growth’ says Mike.

‘The programme moves this to an annual approach with nutrients accurately applied via both base and foliar applications to manage and support the trees. Nutrients are managed in and ‘out’ of the rootzone and applications are more targeted during growth stages to support individual processes.

The regenerative programme encompasses many of Engage’s cornerstone products such as their market leading calcium chelate, Bio-Chel Ca, with some of the latest technological developments of MAS-Power Fruit and the newly arrived VerdeNT nitrogen.

‘By careful management of nitrogen sources we are playing with its most important growth regulator, nitrogen itself. We know that growth regulator use has developed through a lack of understanding of nutrient management, especially that of nitrogen balance and with a little more care we can both optimise growth and fruit support and remove the need to apply growth regulators which inhibit nutrient transport through a vital developmental period’ states Mike.

So how does the new VerdeNT nitrogen fit into the programme? According to Mike the VerdeNT technology manages the sources of nitrogen applied to trees to change growth habit and naturally stimulates the production of differing levels of phytohormones by the tree.

Mike says:
‘We know that the application of nitrates during early extension growth either by calcium application or by potassium/magnesium application we stimulate apical growth and extend internode length which results in long leaders which not only creates work for the grower going forward but also diverts essential nutrients from supporting leaf and fruit development.

‘VerdeNT does two things; it delivers nitrogen in forms which stimulate a shorter growth habit and removes apical dominance and also extends the period of availability so its efficiency in vastly increased’

‘In 2020 the data so far has been excellent especially with the challenging season it has been so we are looking forward to cementing the data in 2021 ahead of a full commercial release of the programme and supporting technologies’.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

The issue of Flea Beetle predation is nothing new and in 2019 it was stated that more than half of oilseed rape crops that survived last autumn’s flea beetle onslaught were infested with larvae at levels that significantly reduced yields.

Last autumn saw the worst cabbage stem flea beetle invasion to hit OSR crops since the loss of neonicotinoid seed treatments, resulting in an average 11% of crops failing to establish in England.

The main issue is that controlling larvae is fraught with difficulty, as spraying is not really an effective option. Newly hatched larvae enter plants and feed in petioles of young OSR plants from October to early April. As plants mature the larvae leave leaf petioles and bore into the main stems, which may destroy the growing points of plants or seriously affect plant vigour.

In 2017, nutritional innovators, Engage Crop Solutions from Chorley, Lancashire, began looking at the issue and how using specialist nutrition could reduce the potential for feeding by flea beetle and minimise the damage caused.

Work in Spain in the previous seasons had seen the Silicon nutrient technology ‘Sentinel’ produce interesting results on a boring larvae in cucurbits where feeding patterns had been significantly reduced.

Plot trials in the UK over the next two seasons have proven very positive, with trials of Sentinel applications applied on its own or in conjunction with existing flea beetle insecticides, significantly reducing predation and damage.

How does Sentinel work?

In two ways. The nutrient silicon is the cement between cells and its availability to crops at high levels increases tissue strength. However, its availability in soils is low and plants can only access silicon in one single form, as mono-silicic acid. Sadly over the past four decades world soil silicon levels have significantly reduced by crop removal and lower soil biodiversity due to reduced manuring and use of soil applied chemistries. This has even lead to scientists to believe that it may be one of the reasons crop pests establish more easily on annual crops.

Sentinel is stabilised silicic acid which is fully available for crops to use and when sprayed it onto crops the silicon is quickly used to reinforce tissue strength and increase cell production in all areas. Non grass crop species store silicon at low levels in the cuticles of petioles and leaves and this is significantly strengthens the cuticle making is far more difficult to eat. Imagine eating the toughest steak at every meal, well that’s what it will feel like to young flea beetle larvae so they find it extremely difficult to gain enough nutrient from the plant tissues. Also Sentinel contains the plant extract salicylic acid which is known to make crops far less palatable to many insect species so again feeding is more difficult.

Sentinel is widely available across the UK from distributors and Engage’s flea beetle work was highlighted at 2019 Croptech show in Peterborough.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Do you often wonder which is the best calcium to use at root level or as a foliar nutrient?
Do you sometimes feel that foliar calcium fertilisers don’t work or don’t give the results you expected?

If so, then please read on.

When it comes to root calcium for both tree and soft fruit, calcium nitrate is almost always the best option as it delivers a primary nutrient source with the calcium you need.

In tree fruit, if calcium is required from your soil analysis and pH is low, calcium can be best applied from granulated lime, however this is strongly bonded to its anion of carbonate. This is also true if applying gypsum, as again the calcium is strongly bonded to sulphate. This reduces the availability of the calcium as it is left to the roots or soil microorganisms to aid its release.

In soft fruit production calcium nitrate has to be the primary source due to lack of other options. Calcium chloride is not acceptable for soft fruit production as the adverse anion of chloride has negative effects in the rootzone especially to chloride sensitive species such as strawberries. Other products can help; indeed our calcium chelate Bio-Chel has a strong following in the UK to replace up to 20% calcium to aid nitrogen balancing.

Traditional calcium nitrate comes ammonia which is not ideal for optimal berry production. That is why at Engage Agro we strive to support optimal calcium delivery at root level with Calci-Pure calcium nitrate.

Calci-pure comes in a fine chip form with zero anti-caking agent and only 0.3% ammonia compared to standard calcium nitrate at 1.1% ammonia. Also it is 27.5% Calcium making it the
strongest calcium nitrate available with the highest level of solubility.

New for 2020, we release Calci-Pure liquid, our most advanced liquid calcium nitrate. It has a massive 20% calcium (CaO w/w), 11% N and most importantly 0% ammonia.

For foliar calcium, a plethora of products are available and all purporting to be the best. Most are based around calcium nitrate or calcium chloride or have technologies attached to aid assimilation or penetration. Other versions are available but sell at lower volumes due to price.

Key points to know when choosing a foliar calcium for fruit crops:

Calcium use in fruit development is only from early bud through to end of cell division. Once fruit starts to swell, calcium delivery to fruit slows and eventually stops and then calcium only serves the growth of the plant.
Calcium is xylem mobile only, so don’t spray it on leaves thinking the plant is going to move it around the vascular system to the fruits – this doesn’t happen.
Calcium is a huge molecule and is extremely difficult to get into leaves; it needs support to open the pores on leaves to allow absorption. Ideally organic materials are the best option.
Cations such as calcium will enter leaves at 1000 times the volumes of anions such as nitrates and chlorides. So if your calcium is strongly bonded in these salts the calcium is massively slowed down from entering the plant.
Calcium is a highly reactive so cannot be mixed with many plant protection products or nutrients containing sulphates or phosphates/phosphites due to insoluble precipitates being formed in the spray tank or on leaf.
Calcium nitrate sprays drive apical growth which stimulates transport of calcium to the growing tips, away from fruits. During early development is it best to avoid foliar sprays containing with calcium nitrate.

For all of the above reasons Engage Crop Solutions developed the Bio-Chel Calcium chelate. It is pure calcium so it ensures optimal delivery via roots and most importantly, leaves, flowers and fruits.

Bio-Chel Ca is only calcium and has no anions to slow its progress into the leaves, flowers and fruits.
It is organically chelated and contains natural spreaders and other organic materials to stimulate higher calcium acceptance.

It is totally safe on crops and can be used at any point during the growing season even on open flower. As Bio-Chel is chelated it is non-reactive so sits perfectly in spray tanks with plant protection products and all nutrients.

The Bio-Chel range encompassed three products:

Bio-Chel Ca Powder

At 22% CaO, the powder is designed to be used as a supplement to irrigation systems to aid nitrogen balance and to provide a fully bioavailable source of calcium which will optimise fruit and crop support.

See Product

Bio-Chel Ca Liquid

At 10% CaO, it is the worlds’ most concentrated calcium chelate liquid designed for use as a full season foliar calcium which can be used through to optimise fruit quality and shelf/storage life. It is pure calcium and is fully tank mixable.

See Product

Opti-Cal

Opti-Cal is Bio-Chel Ca plus Engage’s PAP technology. Designed for later season use, Opti-Cal contains a concentrated package of calcium signalling proteins which we call PAP technology. When applied Opti-Cal delivers calcium into the leaf and signals the cells to accept it into calcium depleted areas. Opti-Cal is proven to have the ability to elevate the outer calcium levels of fruit tissues which is so important as harvest approaches.

See Product

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

At fruit focus 2022, Engage Crop Solutions launched Fortify Maxx. Building on the success of their Fortify platform of market leading biostimulatory technologies such as Fortify Cu and Fortify XD, Fortify Maxx introduces a brand new technology, Phenophites.

Fortify Maxx™ has been in development since early 2016 as Engage began the hunt for natural alternative stimulants to inorganic versions within their Fortify range, phosphites being one example, to support crops under oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress is still the number one disorder which reduces the overall yield and quality potential for fruit crops across the world. Growers can supply exactly what fruit crops require for optimal growth, fruit set, and fruit development however their crops are still at the mercy of growth limiting factors such as extremes in low or high temperatures, high and low humidity, deficient or excessive rainfall, adverse weather conditions, water pH and salinity, heavy metals, ultraviolet radiation and even pathogenic pressure.
All of these factor have the potential to create oxidative stress within cells and regularly do. All crops are under stress of some kind on a daily basis however normally the plant can cope with low levels however once levels of stress exceed these levels different mechanisms are triggered.

So, what is oxidative stress and why do we need to reduce its effects on crops?

Simply put is a complex chemical and physiological disorder which accompanies virtually all biotic and abiotic stresses in higher order plants. It develops as a result of the overproduction and accumulation of compounds known as reactive oxygen species (ROS).
ROS are regarded as by-products of plant aerobic metabolism and are generated in several cellular organelles within cells. Overproduction of ROS leads to DNA damage, the catalysation of calcium for stress relief rather than growth, cellular potassium leakage and will eventually and will lead to cellular death if left unchecked.
Dedicated research by the nutritional industry over the past 30 years (but possibly in use for thousands of years) has proven that using plant extracts high in phenolic compounds can reduce stress. Seaweed is a great example of this in that that provides phenolic compound such as flavonoids, vitamins, amino acids, phenolic acids, phytohormones, tannins, lignans, and coumarins to crops and its use is widespread across the world to help support crop health and there are many other natural plant extracts that do a similar job in support of crop health.
Engage with Fortify Maxx are taking this further, so rather than providing extracts from other plant species to try and support the stress relief system, Fortify Maxx™ uses specific plant extracts to stimulate plants to generate more phenolic compounds itself. This way the compounds are far more in tune with the plants chemistry and physiology and therefore more effective at reducing the production of ROS, allowing plants far less susceptible to damage from oxidative stress.

So, what is Fortify Maxx ?

It is a package of three chelated micronutrients and unique to Engage, plant extracts called ‘Phenophites’ taken from specific plant species naturally attuned to withstanding higher levels of abiotic and biotic stress. The nutritional/phenophite package work together to increase the natural production of phenolic compounds from secondary pathways to significantly limit a plants susceptibility to stress of any kind.
Fortify Maxx has been in trials across Europe with focused work at UJI International, Spain and results so far have been extremely positive in elevating phenolic compounds.
Mark Horner, technical lead at Engage explains.
‘We have run the formulation of Fortify Maxx many times at UJI due to their ability to measure the elevation of specific phenolic compounds. We know specific phenolic compounds are highly elevated once Fortify Maxx begins stimulating the plant. These compounds have been found to be 36 times the normal levels when compared to other stress relieving compounds and their effects on the reduction of oxidative ROS species in both invitro and field trials has been very exciting’

Engage now move to larger field scale trials and are looking to work with selected growers across the world to look at individual stresses. The product is also now commercially available via Engage and its distribution partners across Europe.

Significant areas of the world are at risk of catastrophic water shortages and more parts of the world are seeing extended periods of water drought leading to a water crisis for global agriculture. Water security is fast becoming one of the largest political issues for many countries and as a result, agriculture will come under more scrutiny is how is manages its water use.

Agricultures uses approximately 70% of the worlds water supply. As demand for arable crops increases year on year due to changing palates, climate change, population density and water wastage, greater pressure is being placed on water availability and quality across the world.

In 2012, Engage saw a necessity for innovation in this sector and began development on a new water saving liquid polymer for use in soils. This technology is Aqualatus.

10 years later, Aqualatus’s advanced liquid soil applied technology is the leading water saving technology for farmers and growers all over the world. Aqualatus is fully proven in over 10 years of independent trials to reduce water loss from evaporation, surface run off and leaching, even in the most arid conditions by over 50% and will lock moisture in the rootzone of crops. It is unsurpassed in initial wetting and long term rewetting of all agricultural soils and substrates and is providing growers and farmers all over the world with water security, and importantly, in doing so, is saving them significant cost in water, fertilisers and energy use.

Below is a map of the world which illistrates just how water stressed many parts of the the world are becoming (information courtesy of the Aquaduct water risk atlas).

Engage developed the product further in order to create an effective end user product. Aqualatus Ca comes from the Aqualatus/Integrate stable of surfactants but unlike its predecessors it is specifically aimed at rapid coir hydration and expansion, salt leaching and optimisation of nutritional exchange sites through the substrate hydration process.

In the past 10 years of sales and trials Aqualatus has been proven to make it the market leader, so how can it help growers in use and why should they be using it.

50% reduction in water saving

The most important benefit of using Aqualatus is the saving in water.
Engage and its partners across the world have proven that a 50% reduction on water use is possible without any loss in quality of growth of a crop. The reason this is possible is due to the huge reduction in natural water loss Aqualatus brings to the soil when applied via irrigation. Water is lost to the growing crop in three main ways. Surface runoff, surface evaporation and leaching through the soil due to gravity. Aqualatus introduces billions of microscopic structures in irrigation water which naturally adhere to soil particles to increase the moisture holding capacity of the soil by slowing gravitational water movement. Surface runoff and evaporation are almost completely eradicated and gravitational movement is dramatically slowed. Reducing this natural water loss allows for irrigation volumes to be much lower and timings to be shorter as the soil is farmore retentive.

“With regular use of Aqualatus, the slowing of gravitational movement of water, naturally promotes increased lateral water movement.”

Sales of Aqualatus are the highest in areas of the world where arid conditions prevail, due to the necessity for use, so many growers have already adopted its regular use and rely on the benefits Aqualatus brings. One of the most frequent reports Engage see and hear from growers is that once they have used Aqualatus for more than six weeks and they have measured how much water they save in their reduced irrigation practice, they also save fertiliser and energy as both are linked directly to the lower volume of irrigation applied. In light of the dramatically rising cost of fertiliser and energy, the saving on these two important input costs is now a considerable saving.

Increased efficacy of nutrients and soil applied products

With regular use of Aqualatus, the slowing of gravitational movement of water, naturally promotes increased lateral water movement as the microscopic micelles in Aqualatus coat more soil particles. The coating of more soil particles begins to bring uniformity to the soil profile especially across the soil rhizosphere. This allows anything dissolved in the irirgation water such as nutrients, biostimulants, soil conditioners, bio controls, soil sterilants or agrochemicals to be spread more uniformly across the rhizosphere and in doing so, efficacy is increased.

This efficacy has lead to the widespread use of Aqualatus to support the disinfection of soils either through traditional chemical application or in the more progressive ‘solarisation’ disinfection system. The movement and uniform distribution of water optimises efficacy of the two systems to the point whereby its use is seen as essential.

Equilibrium and of air and water

One of the most dramatic changes seen under the regular use of Aqualatus in irrigation water is how it brings balance of air and water the to the soil profile. The micelles within Aqualatus are like tiny, microscopic tadpoles which carry a small electric charge, positive+, in their tails and negative-, in their heads. As can be seen the diagram, (right) the micelles completely surround the soil particles as the tails are attracted to the negatively charged soil particle. What is of great importance is that the tails are hydrophobic, which means they push out water, and soil once the micelles surround the soil particle a tiny pocket of air is created under the globule of water which forms around the soil particle absorbed into the heads of the micelles.

This balance of air and water has dramatic short and long term effects on the soil profile from root activity, soil aggregation and water management.

Soil Aggregation

Under regular use, Aqualatus in irrigation water not only manages the balance of air and water but also its micelles create a web of the polymers, which is very much like a mycelial network, in the soil. This has dramatic positive long term effects on the soil profile which aids a growing crop.

“Under regular use, Aqualatus in irrigation water not only manages the balance of air and water but also its micelles create a web of the polymers, which is very much like a mycelial network, in the soil.”

Heavy, compacted soils or soils with a tight structure such as silts or clays open up and become more plasticine in texture which make it easier for crops to grow in and also far easier for growers and farmers to work with. For example, compacted soils in the Cordoba region of Spain, Arizona region of the USA and the Vredendal region of South Africa become as hard a concrete in the summer heat due to their complex soils structures. Under the management of Aqualatus, these difficult soil become more open allowing greater movement of irrigation water and do not cap or harden. The long term effects of Aqualatus in all these regions, farmers stated, land was easier to work and the hard compaction which normally plagues them every season, is no longer an issue.

Conversely the open sandy soils of Southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East surface evaporation is at its highest and drainage is so fast water cannot be retained. Aqualatus applied via irrigation pulls together the soil particles in the lattice web of the micellular polymers so evaporation of water is greatly reduced as is water drainage. In trials in these kind of soils water loss due evaporation and drainage has been reduced by as much as 60% allowing the soils to be far more productive and remedial applications for organic application and soil conditioning, far more effective.

Water Management

Under the influence of the micelles contained with Aqualatus, the uniformity of water and air across the rhizosphere is between 80-100% and this provides for excellent water management. Waterlogging of soils or anaerobic conditions are impossible to achieve even during flood events to provide continued support for crop growth. In open soils where the Aqualatus creates an equilibrium air and water in the micellular web, optimal moisture levels (55-65%) can be maintained to provide optimal irrigation and nutrient support a growing crop which will produce greater yield and be far more resilient and healthier, resulting in higher quality fruits or produce.

Root Activity

Within a month of starting using Aqualatus the water/air equilibrium is achieved and this effects plant roots very quickly. The lateral roots which access water and nutrients find it far easier to grow and work and the increased lateral movement of water, nutrients and support compounds added via irrigation, means they are uniformly placed across an extended area. This stimulates roots to growth more uniformly through the soil profile across this larger area.

As an example, during a citrus trial at Twaktuin Fruit Farm, Clanwilliam, South Africa roots on a two year old orange bush where measured to a growing area of 5m³ compared to the control which had a rootzone of just 1.5m³.

The retention of moisture is a long term effect and has been known to be a major reason Aqualatus is successful in many parts of the world where energy is an issue and irrigation application may be interrupted for many days. Aqualatus’s water retention potential allows crops extend their root reach to greater levels of moisture to maintain optimal growth for far longer even if irrigation water is not reinforced for several days.

Business Case

So, the next question we need to know is does it stand up in cost in use?
Aqualatus will cost an average, depending upon rate of application and crop, between £240-£320 per growing season where 6-8 monthly applications are used. From data provided in independent trials and commercial use Aqualatus will save in cost of water, nutrients and energy 15 to 20 times the cost of application. Aqualatus is easy to apply as it is inert and can be mixed into any irrigation system without issue.

Engage have also made sure Aqualatus is safe in use both over and under the growing crop. The polymers used to make Aqualatus are safe to use over any growing crop where overhead irrigation is used and are completely biodegradable in 6-8 weeks. Eighty percent becomes oxygen and CO² and the other twenty becomes food for soil bacteria. These means the technology has zero environmental fate allowing its use in all types of crop production.

As the pressure on water, fertiliser and energy costs increases, technologies such as Aqualatus, once seen as only viable in high value crops are now becoming essential tools to maintain water security, crop quality and financial return.

The question of whether growers can afford to use a technology such as Aqualatus is fast being replaced by ‘can’ growers afford not to!

Engage, leading innovators in fruit nutrition, launched the new substrate additive for Jan 2021 specifically created to optimise the ‘wet up’ process of coir slabs.

From late 2017, Engage have been conducting extensive trials with Coir (coco peat) in Sri Lanka, collaborating with their international partners.

Engage wanted to fully understand the hydration of coir and its need to remain fully hydrophobic in transit. Trials progressed over a three year period resulted in the creation of a new water additive called Aqualatus Ca. Initial trials concentrated on the possibility of incorporating Aqualatus directly into coir during the production process to allow growers to benefit from the technology directly as the hydrate, however it became clear that Aqualatus completely changes the physicality of the coir, so that it is no longer a hydrophobic medium.

This sounds ideal, however – transit proved problematic as Engage’s Andrew Aspinall explains.

“The trials were progressing extremely well and we were seeing treated coir slabs hydrating as soon as they were irrigated, it was very exciting for all. Samples were then shipped worldwide to evaluate how humidity would affect the slabs in transit. The efficacy was of Aqualatus was highlighted as each shipped pallet sample gained weight in moisture from 100kgs to 300kgs depending on duration of shipment and humidity during transit. Even placing the slabs in store was an issue as the technology worked so effectively the slabs expanded in days even without the addition of irrigation. This was a major learning curve, as much as we would like coir slabs that hydrate easily once in situ, the added cost and unpredictability of moisture gain makes this unachievable.“

Coir slab wet up with Aqualatus Ca

Engage developed the technology further in order to create an effective end user product and this became Aqualatus Ca. Aqualatus Ca comes from the Aqualatus/Integrate stable of surfactants but unlike its predecessors it is specifically formulated to acheive rapid coir hydration and expansion, salt buffering and optimisation of nutritional exchange sites through the substrate hydration process.

Water retention v hydration

Although water retention is important during the hydration process, coir expansion is more significant as it initiates the salt leaching/ buffering process.

Aqualatus Ca comes with four separate polymer ‘wetters’ which rapidly hydrate and expand coir, eight times faster than water alone. This rapid expansion allows for the leaching process to be catalysed and achieved more successfully and most importantly, completed ahead of planting, so root growth in the newly planted coir is less inhibited.

To illustrate effectiveness, Engage ran trials with Aqualatus Ca throughout the the summer of 2020 with leading UK coir slabs for strawberry production. In the trial, Aqualatus Ca was added to slab portions at 0.1mls per litre of water. Expansion of the coir was immediate compared to the control which failed to hydrate and, in some suppliers, even increased the volume of the coir.

The addition of 18.5% calcium in Aqualatus Ca is present in the formulation to catalyse and accelerate the coir leaching/buffering process. Within any growing media there are exchange sites where nutrient cations are bonded to the media itself. The majority of coir slabs exchange sites are tied up with sodium and potassium which is naturally present. These ions are not strongly bonded to the coir and will be readily replaced by calcium once the coir fibres are expanded.

Generally, without Aqualatus Ca, early applications of calcium will become tied up during the exchange capacity process buffering out sodium and potassium. Therefore, early calcium application in the substrate solution will not be available for utilisation by the young plants.

“There is a delay before the cation exchange capacity can be fully charged with calcium, potassium and magnesium”.

Mike Stoker, Technical Manager

“If a grower isn’t aware of this lag and doesn’t address it early, it can create deficiency problems even when optimal nutrition is being applied. When, for example 130 ppm of calcium (Ca) is incorporated in the nutrient solution, the leachate from a slab may only contain 60 ppm calcium. The other 70 ppm is not necessarily used by the plants as much of the 70 ppm is tied up at the exchange sites and will only be available much later.”

Aqualatus Ca addresses this process more efficiently, thereby allowing the calcium within it and any other added calcium to penetrate coir fibres rapidly, loading the exchange sites uniformly across the slab and accelerating the buffering and loading process. Hydration and expansion will be achieved in a single application of Aqualatus Ca and as it will be active in the coir for up to five weeks working with subsequent irrigation rounds the buffering process is generally fully achieved within in a couple of days rather than weeks as previously seen. This means planting can be achieved more economically and the process does not effect nutrient availability once new crops are planted.

Aqualatus Ca use throughout the season

Although Aqualatus Ca is ideal for the hydration and buffering processes, Engage also recommend its use as a regular 4-6 weekly application throughout the growing season. In this lower application use, Aqualatus Ca is proven to support optimal water to air balance in the rootzone and uniformity of electro conductivity across the slab. It also allows for moisture retention in slabs though warmer temperatures and will ameliorate the potential for adverse ion build up.

See the Aqualatus Ca Product Page

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

In a competitive market achieving optimal quality of crops is the key to success. Whether it is to maximise weight and uniformity or to support the important processes which underpin crop health, or limit the damage from harmful, growth restricting stresses.

Timing nutrients and ensuring there is optimal supply through key growth processes will ensure crops are supported through periods of peak demand and during periods of evelvated stress, whether it be abiotic pressure through adverse growing conditions or biotic pressure from pests or pathogens.
Engage has over a decade of experience in crop nutrition across the world and has developed many innovative products aimed at targeting key periods to keep crops healthy, so growth is of the highest quality.

These brochures highlight products that will aid growers in achieving quality crops including Brassicas, Leafy Salads, Potatoes and Field Vegetables. With help maximising a plants genetic potential and circumventing loss through stress to ultimately assist in uniform growth, optimising quality and minimising wastage.

For over 10 years Engage have been at the forefront of ‘Regenerative’ nutrition and in the case of many of their technologies, it could be said, ahead of market requirement.

They have been developing nutritional technologies to advance the regenerative philosophy long before the term was even invented and the company has seen their fortunes change dramatically as the market has moved towards a more chemical free, soil and plant health orientated focus.

Crop technologies developed to ameliorate issues in other parts of the world where crop stress has been a serious issue for many years are now seeing their use in the UK. Primarily the use of Engage technologies has been in the higher input crops of horticulture however agriculture is now firmly in their sights as it faces unprecedented challenges moving forward.

Focus on Solutions to Challenges

Focus for Engage will be on solutions for farmers rather than just products and this focus will be on three main areas:

The first is Nitrogen Use Efficiency. This buzz phrase has been around for a few years now, however, farmer and grower adoption to it has been limited due to current rotational practice.

In light of the rapidly rising prices for nitrogen fertilisers, Nitrogen Use Efficiency has never been so important. Not only will it optimise crop growth parameters and increase crop return but as of this year it will actually save farmers and growers huge savings in the cost of fertiliser.

Engage have worked on Nitrogen use efficiency across the world for many year and have proven they can take nitrogen use efficiency from the current 25-30% to as high as 90% which means overall nitrogen applications can be far more efficacious even at lower application rates.

The second area of focus is ‘Increasing Soil Health’. Soil health and carbon sequestering is now at the top of the agricultural agenda, especially as the future farm payments will be based on more environmental parameters. Engage have proven developed technologies to optimise soil health and carbon sequestering to maximise farmers green credentials without having to massively change current farming practice. The long term benefit to farmers by investing in their soils will not only see them take advantage of higher returns in crops and more effective nutrient use but also increased payments to farm.

The third area of focus will be ‘Reducing Reliance on Traditional Chemistry’ and agrochemical practice by optimising soil and crop health to limit susceptibility to infection by diseases and predation from harmful pests. Pressure on agrochemical active ingredients has never been higher as supermarkets and consumers demand produce ‘free from’ pesticides. Engage is a leader in developing strategies and technologies to aid farmers and growers reduce reliance on traditional chemistry and look forward to discussing how this practice can be adopted.

Our knowledge and expertise of agronomic science helps address agricultural issues through improved agronomic practice and access to cutting edge technologies. Engage offers on-going advice and support to ensure that the provision of quality agricultural inputs address the crop requirements of the grower. We strive to add value through addressing crop problems and offering solutions to enhance crops to optimise financial performance and secure return on investment.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

It seemed fitting that Engage sponsored the Love Cider Competition at The National Fruit Show this year. We help growers nurture cider apple trees, optimising their full potential and don’t mind a glass or two of it now and again!

First prize and overall winner to Taunton Cider’s Vintage; Turners Elderflower Cider from Kent won Best blended and best Pear Cider. Thanks judges Nigel Barden, Melissa Cole and Adrian Harris.

Taking the overall winning slot is Taunton Cider vintage. They also won the best Cider in the Traditional class.

In the blended class the wonderful Turners Elderflower Cider scooped the win …. and they did the double picking up first prize in the Pear and Perry category too. Their Pear Cider is something special.

When we created Bio-Chel Ca, one of the main drivers was to allow us to use on all crops with multiple applications, so the price needed to reflect this. It is highly cost-effective at £2.60/acre per application. We think Bio-Chel Ca is the best calcium source in the world and urge all growers to use it and see the difference.

Read Mark’s article below:

Bio-Chel Ca – The Solution to Calcium Deficiency?

This time of year, many crops suffer from variable transpiration and new root development which limits calcium uptake resulting in reduced quality produce and lower yields. It’s at this point growers reach for foliar support to supplement calcium, yet time after time growers still see low levels of calcium in crops even after a possible full programme of applications.

The reason for this is based in the nutrient itself. Calcium is the largest of nutrient molecules and is highly charged as Ca⁺⁺as well as being highly reactionary. So, in soils it may bond itself out of availability and in sprays and nutrient solutions it will reacts with other nutrients and plant protection compounds to create insoluble precipitates which again inhibit its availability to the plant.

In soil, it has to compete for uptake with nutrient cations such as potassium, nitrogen and magnesium which plants find far easier to take up and it needs new roots for optimal uptake as older roots are less effective at accessing calcium. This can be a problem for perennial crops such as tree fruit as they mature. Once in the plant calcium is only mobile in the xylem vessels (arteries of the plants vascular system) and not the phloem (veins of plants vascular system). Calcium transport in the vascular system is controlled by transpiration, the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers. If transpiration is affected in any way, calcium reinforcement drops. Once laid down by the plant the calcium remains static as it then cannot be moved around the plant. It is however, lost during the transpiration process.

For years companies have been developing foliar calcium products in an effort to enhance foliar penetration and assimilation by making stronger products, products with organic materials to aid leaf penetration and technologies to stimulate greater assimilation, all with variable degrees of success. Mark Horner, lead agronomist at Engage has been responsible for helping to develop several of Europe’s leading calcium foliar sprays; he explains why foliar calcium, even with current technologies, can be so variable in its effects.

“There are three main issues to overcome with foliar calcium. This first is the size of the calcium molecule. As an ion calcium is very large and so it is very difficult to get it through the surface of leaves. Nutrient solutes can pass through localised pathways called ‘ectodesmata’ and these are very small. Therefore, calcium finds it very difficult to pass thought these pathways. They can, however, be stimulated by certain organic compounds to open up wider to allow more calcium through, which is why you see many foliar calcium’s with organic elements to their formulation.

The second is that in nearly all cases the calcium added to foliar is in the form of a compound salt, which means it is attached to an anion such as nitrate, chloride, sulphate, phosphate etc. The leaf produces a negative charge and creates an electrochemical gradient to increase the movement of cations and water molecules.

The flow of cations through the cuticle membrane is much easier than that of anions, with studies showing this to be up to 100 times higher. Anions are negatively charged so are repelled to an extent and will, when in a foliar calcium, reduce overall efficacy.

The final issue is tank mixability, foliar calcium’s are highly reactive and so growers need to be really careful when mixing other nutrients, biostimulants and plant protection products with calcium. We often see calcium being added to multiple product foliar mixes which creates a reaction, forming calcium compounds rendering a percentage of the applied calcium unavailable to the crop.”

Engage’s extensive knowledge of calcium helped them create their foliar calcium, Bio-Chel Ca. They needed to create a product that was pure calcium, which stimulates leaves to accept it and would not react in spray tanks. The only way to do this was to use a chelate. Standard calcium chelates are expensive and are known to have a poor level of safety on leaf, so the only way forward was to create their own chelate using a unique organic chelator.

The result was Bio-Chel Ca 10%; a 100% chelated cation so it is unhindered by anions during foliar application and as the chelation is organic and contains multiple organic compound and sugars, is used by the plant at the highest rates possible. The chelation is strong so it prevents the calcium from actively reacting with other elements and salts or plant protection products, so it will sit in spray tanks without fear of reaction. This allows Bio-Chel Ca to be mixed with sulphate, phosphate/phosphite fertilisers and all known pesticides to maximise its flexibility in use and removes a headache from the grower.

Bio-Chel Ca also contains natural surface-active polymers which ensures even calcium distribution over the leaf surface without the need for additional adjuvants. The natural polymers ensure the spray remains hygroscopic after application thereby holding the calcium in a water-soluble form on the leaf so that it can diffuse and penetrate the leaf even after the spray application has dried. The product is also safe to use at any time of the year and on all crops. But does all this come at a cost? Apparently not. According to Mark Horner,

“when we created Bio-Chel Ca one of the main drivers was to allow its use on all crops with multiple applications, so the price needed to reflect this. It is highly cost effective at just £2.60 per acre per application. We think Bio-Chel Ca is the best calcium source in the world and urge all growers to try it and see the difference”.

Spring has been tumultuous in terms of weather to say the least, with the coldest April in 60 years, and this is having detrimental effects on nutrient uptake as cold roots and low transpiration affect growth.

vine with Iron deficiency — *Vine leaves yellowing leaves – Iron deficiency*

Having an increased understanding and knowledge of crop nutrients and the application in the way that each specific nutrient behaves is crucial at this stage, as a deficiency is a signal given to us by the plant to help us ‘bring it back’ to its normal photosynthetic equilibrium from its state of obvious distress – which diminishes the vines’ ability to work from budburst through to its usual spring processes. Therefore, we should never underestimate a deficiency – as the vines’ growth parameters and resistance to infection or predation will be compromised.

There are however deficiencies that initially, are not as easy to see or identify, but which equally limit the potential qualitative development of the vines and ultimately the grapes. In soils these this deficiencies not so frequently observed and are often underestimated, yet may have profound effects as without them, photosynthesis becomes the limiting factor. In fact, during cold springs some symptoms are concurrent and/or maybe mistaken for each other or even lack of nitrogen.

These deficiencies are Iron and Manganese. Both play a pivotal role in photosynthesis and are a major part of chlorophyll production, leaf expansion and are important components of the electron transport chain – the final link in the photosynthetic process, and of different enzymatic systems.

So, what are the benefits of ensuring each nutrient is maintained at optimal levels for early growth?

Iron is essential for many plant functions. It optimises chlorophyll development and its function. Its availability supports energy transfer within the plant and functions in plant respiration and plant metabolism which are so important for overall crop health. In vines, it is important for nitrogen fixation which will directly affect growth if compromised.

Its deficiency symptoms are sometimes difficult to confirm as similarly to many nutrient deficiencies it expresses itself as chlorosis or a yellowing of the leaf. To identify it look to the growing point as iron being a poor mobility nutrient will always show itself in the newest growth first and if pronounced with reduce chlorophyll so much that the leaf will be light yellow or even white!

How does this compare to manganese which may look very similar in its early deficiency symptoms?

*Vine leaf showing Manganese deficiency*

Manganese is hugely involved in photosynthesis, to the point that a deficiency can contribute to low brix levels which is so important yeast nutrition during fermentation of your wine plus directly links to increased insect and disease pressure. Manganese is essential in the process of photolysis of water (where photons split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen). This process effectively kickstarts the chemistry of photosynthesis and the associated production of glucose for new growth.

Manganese deficiency is mainly encountered during cold wet springs and in alkaline soils. Like iron, it will express itself as interveinal chlorosis however it will be present on the most recent semi matured young leaves as they are first to exhibit the characteristic symptoms of pale green spots around the leaf margin developing into an interveinal mosaic discolouration with prominent green veins. The symptomatic leaves do not form a discoloured edge but progressively reach into the heart of the leaf.

Engage, the innovators in plant nutrition, have developed two advanced technologies to ensure these important nutrients are delivered to vines at the highest level, these are Bio-Chel Fe and MAS-Power Mn.

Bio-Chel Fe is a unique organically chelated iron liquid providing 5% fully available iron over a pH range from 2-9 so will sit comfortably in most spray tank conditions or irrigation systems. It has unrivalled leaf safely for a liquid iron the soluble lignin present in chelation of

Bio-Chel Fe Liquid is a source of added organic carbon and support compounds which will support overall vine health.

MAS-Power Manganese is a 15% Mn foliar which comes with proven unique delivery mechanism (mineral assimilation technology) which has been designed to meet deliver manganese rapidly and safely.

MAS is a technology made from extracted organic bioactive molecules identified in Canada and proven to have many active sites to stimulate pathways associated with nutrient delivery and assimilation. MAS-Power foliar Mn is designed to address the specific nutrient requirement and relieve any abiotic stress the grapevine may encounter, during its critical growth stages. MAS-Power technology is proven to increase foliar nutrient uptake and assimilation therefore levels of application can be lower without compromising efficacy. The Bio-Pack within MAS-Power also improves the metabolism in the vine and will with continued use lead to an improved root to shoot ratio, therefore promoting overall vine health and resistance to stress.

For more information on these important nutrients and help in ensuring your vines are fully supported please contact Mike Stoker at mike.stoker@engage-agro.com or 07444 837470.

The 2021 growing season is now finally upon us, albeit with a somewhat chilly introduction! In our previous Latest News page, Engage have highlighted the benefits of adopting a regenerative approach to nutrition. Supporting strong soil biodiversity is a key ethos of ours as it has the potential to reduce reliance on traditional chemistries. The introduction of organic compounds, bio stimulants and biological approaches will invigorate soils and vines – whilst providing a greater level of inherent support to a grapevines’ establishment and growth processes throughout the season, especially during times of stress.

As highlighted in previous articles, having an increased understanding and knowledge of crop nutrients and the application in the way that each specific nutrient behaves is crucial, as a deficiency is a signal given to us by the plant to help us ‘bring it back’ to its normal photosynthetic equilibrium from its state of obvious stress – which diminishes the vines’ ability to work optimally from budburst through to leaf senescence.

Therefore, we should never underestimate a deficiency – as the vines’ resistance to disease and longevity will be compromised.

We know annual soil analysis helps identify potential “hidden hungers” as early as possible and provide the greatest opportunity to take corrective action – However some deficiencies are alterations that are not easy to see or identify at all, but which equally limit the potential qualitative development of the grapes. I am referring to the fundamental macro-element of all plant life…phosphorus. The deficiency of this essential element is rarely encountered: only in very acid and or poor soils – yet it is frequently found to be deficient both in leaf analyses during flowering and in those of the petiole during grape ripening – even when not deficient, limited availability of phosphorus can significantly affect inflorescence development and fruit set. Phosphorus is a difficult element to integrate into soil because it reacts with clay, iron and aluminium compounds in the soil and is converted readily to less available forms by the process of fixation and also retrograded by calcium into calcium phosphate.

Phosphorous is an essential constituent of all plant metabolism requiring ATP energy (adenosinetriphosphate) and also structural functions (phospholipids) – It is therefore involved in all the metabolic and catabolic functions of the vine. Working along Nitrogen and Potassium it regulates the primary equilibrium of the plant between vegetative and reproductive growth. The most characteristic deficiency symptom is a vivid reddening of the leaf edge and is always found on the oldest leaves and is often accompanied by a distinct lack of growth with new shoots that struggle to become lignified.

From soil to shoot’s – ‘Sufficiency avoids Deficiency’ attributes to maximising the full potential and quality of the vine crop. To support vine growers, new or the 2021 season Engage Europe the innovators in plant nutrition have developed MAS-Power Active Bud a super concentrated soluble foliar fertiliser (7-33-7+4.2MgO+1%B) supported by a full package of micronutrients in balance for early development and a unique organic bio-pack to aid penetration of the spray and assimilation of the nutrients contained within it. The pack contains a proprietary blend of soluble plant extracts and amino acids at a level of 1kg in every bag naturally inducing developing buds to perform to their physiological processes with greater efficiency with lower energy expenditure. Application of MAS-Power Active Bud is ideally applied from the bud burst through to early grape development to ensure the important processes of inflorescence and fruit set are covered.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Early season lettuce production is undoubtedly the most expensive time in the growing season due to high levels of labour, the cost of fleece protection and it being the longest crop of the year in the ground and all during the toughest of conditions.

Andy-crop-walking-lettuce — Andrew Aspinall checking on a customers lettuce crop.

During this time, newly planted lettuce will encounter various abiotic stress conditions such as cold soil temperatures with the possibility of numerous frosts, waterlogged soils, wind damage from fleece covers and increased cellular damage leading to greater disease pressure.

As soon as a window of opportunity arises, eg; when covers being pulled back for routine spraying and good weather conditions prevail, additional nutritional support should be given alongside any plant protection products. As cellular support is so essential during this challenging period, two nutrients should be consistently applied, these being silicon and calcium.

Foliar applications of silicon to lettuce crops although a more recent addition to crop nutrition, have proven in the last few years to be of enormous benefit as the trace element is an essential part of every plant cell’s construction.

Andrew Aspinall of Engage explains why.

‘Once silicon is absorbed by any leafy salad crop it will it immediately strengthen any cell which it is absorbed into, whether it be roots, stems or leaves. This effect is proven to protect crops from the stress associated with cold temperatures, wind damage or higher humidity under fleece. It also stimulates the growth of more cells especially in the cuticle of the crop which increases leaf and stem density, improving overall growth parameters and will significantly reduce susceptibility to infection from disease or predation from insects.’

Sion from Engage-Agro is a unique 21% stabilised silicon and will provide the crops with added nutritional support through this crucial growing period. Being a 100% available trace element, Sion’s application rate is extremely low at just 0.25L to 0.5L per hectare making it highly cost effective, allowing its regular use as part commercial salad growers essential nutrient toolkit.

The other essential nutrient during the early growth period of lettuce crops is known by all lettuce growers and that is, calcium. However, identifying the early signs of calcium deficiency in lettuce can often be difficult, especially in early season when the lettuce being is covered by fleece crop and visual inspection is limited.

Calcium is only xylem-mobile, which means the nutrient moves upwards only in the direction of transpiration and not around the plant. If regions of the lettuce plant are not transpiring, then calcium is not being delivered to those areas which can lead to deficiency. This early issue is important as it is often mistaken by growers as a deficiency of calcium in the soil.

Since water carries calcium through the plant as transpiration occurs, calcium movement is dependent solely on transpiration rates. It will not matter how much calcium you supply to the root zone of your crop if you are growing in a humid, low-transpiration environment as the calcium has not method of transport. Conversely, overly dry conditions can cause lettuce plants to close their leaves stomata, interrupting transpiration, which may also lead to calcium deficiency.

Whole head lettuce is particularly susceptible to calcium deficiency in humid environments and is often seen as the symptom of leaf tip burn. As lettuce heads develop, they enclose the apical meristem, or growing point, in an envelope of leaves. This creates a pocket of trapped air, which is resistant to outside air movement. Trapped air reduces transpiration at the growing point, leading to less calcium being delivered, resulting in leaves becoming misshapen which may be tip burned or internally browned.

To minimise the risk of this happening to lettuce, Engage recommend foliar applications of their organic calcium chelate Bio-Chel Ca. Bio-Chel Ca is a 10% Ca foliar calcium liquid which is formulated as a pure calcium source which will penetrate the leaf at a much higher level due to the organic compounds naturally occurring in its chelation and that it is an anion free calcium and so is unhindered in acceptance by plants. Also, particularly important for early spray thanks Bio-Chel Ca is non-reactive; the chelation in Bio-Chel Ca is strong which prevents the calcium from actively reacting with other elements and plant protection products.

Andrew Aspinall reinforces this point

‘This sets Bio-Chel Ca apart from all other calcium fertilisers as it will sit in any spray tank without fear of reaction. It can be mixed with sulphate and phosphate/phosphite fertilisers and all known pesticides which maximises its flexibility in use.’

For more information on the foliar nutrition of lettuce or the products mentioned contact Andrew Aspinall on andy@engage-agro.com

When the fruit growing season is upon us and pre-season discussions begin with tree fruit growers across the UK looking at the management of soils and base nutrition. Many are contemplating the conventional ‘chemical approach’ that has been adopted since the mid 1900’s or a more regenerative approach that reduces reliance on traditional chemistries.

A regenerative approach introduces organic compounds, bio-stimulants and biological approaches to invigorate soils and rootzones in order to provide a greater level of inherent support to fruit tree growth processes throughout the season, especially during times of stress.

Over the past 50 years there has been an increase in the application of chemical nutrients and active ingredients to woody crops on a global scale, yet there also appears to be a disproportionate increase in unusable soil nutrient levels and abiotic/biotic stress pressure. The current path is now seen by many forward-thinking growers and companies as not sustainable and highlights the desperate need for growers to move to a more holistic, regenerative programme.

Effective soil management is an important part of the process in order to maintain strong biodiversity, organic matter, and higher carbon content. In the rhizosphere, or root zone of fruit trees, complex interactions are constantly occurring between plant roots and soil microbes. This results in the creation of organic compounds which interact with essential nutrients and tree nutrient uptake, so maintaining higher organic matter and carbon is essential. Carbon is now growing in importance in UK farming; this is partly due to the UK government’s ‘Carbon Credits’ scheme as part of its climate change commitment to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050, but it has always been an essential part of a healthy soil.

Woody perennials such as fruit trees are powerful ‘sequesters’ of carbon, a process which involves the removal of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil’s organic matter and above ground in the tree’s biomass by the action of photosynthesis.

Soil organic matter and carbon content are essential to optimising soil fertility as they are the “flywheel” that transfers nutrient elements from the soil to root. They play a vital role supporting the bacterial flora which mineralise nitrogen. They also stimulate active nutrient exchange to maintain availability and have the benefit of chelating trace elements owing to the acid functions of many humic compounds being created.

A major benefit is that soils which are higher in soil organic carbon (1.5 to 2.0% carbon or 2.5 to 3.5% organic matter) produce higher yields and are far more resistant to drought and biotic stress factors.

Regenerative nutrition and supporting strong soil biodiversity have long been parts of the core ethos of Engage Europe and so the development of innovative technologies to support these important processes have been a long-held practice. Possibly, the most applicable technology to this is Bio-Chel Initiate an organic and readily available source of organic compounds and carbon.

Bio-Chel Initiate

Bio-Chel Initiate is a multi-function, highly charged liquid ‘lignin-carbon’ complex which is 100% organic and contains over 50% carbon. Its addition to orchard soils, accelerates natural biodiversity, which in turn releases essential nutrients tied within the soil and binds them to the root surface allowing elevated uptake. Lignin is the second most abundant organic compound in living plants after cellulose and accounts for 30% of plant mass. It provides a renewable source of food for soil microbes, which fix nitrogen and assist in binding plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to tree roots encouraging natural phytohormone responses leading to enhanced growth. Worldwide use of this modified lignin soil amendment has shown to increase yields on average 10% to 30% across a variety of crops and has become an important tool in a regenerative nutrition approach.

An active rootzone is proven to be essential in the nutrient support of fruit trees however, the practice of soil testing orchards only every 3-5 years and applying the same base programme of NPK, calcium and magnesium has led to many soils being overloaded in specific nutrients. Soils become out of balance which locks nutrients away from use or creates antagonistic competition between nutrients which will impede uptake and reduce tree potential.

As part of regenerative approach to soil management, annual soil analysis is essential as every year soil nutrient levels can increase or decrease posing the fruit grower with new challenges. With nutrient depletion from annual fruit removal, it is expected that nutrient levels always reduce, however experience shows this is not always the case. Nutrients are taken up at different levels and availability can and does result in nutrient excess in many orchards especially in those with lower organic matter and lower bio-activity. This will only be picked up by regular analysis and unlike low nutrient status orchards, excess nutrient in orchards is more difficult to manage.

Cypher

Cypher from Engage has become an important tool in its regenerative programme:

It maintains bioactivity factors by supplying an energy food source for soil microbes present in the root zone.
It also improves the solubility of essential nutrients and their bonded anions of phosphate or sulphate so that they remain available in the rootzone.
All salt and nutrient movement and availability through the soil improves as does uptake efficiency.
Importantly ‘locked up’ nutrients become available to support trees rather than creating issues.

Cypher is a modified organic acid blend derived from the plant active portions of lignin and leonhardite ore. It is a patented product designed to condition soils which have lost momentum, become compacted or overloaded in bonded salts. It is applied as a spray directly to the orchard floor and can be used alone or alongside basic and acidic fertilisers and herbicide applications. As a product from nature, Cypher meets all the requirements for sustainable agriculture and offers fruit growers a “natural” way to improve and maintain soil health and therefore productivity.

by Mike Stoker -Engage Europe

For more information on moving to a more regenerative approach to nutrition, contact Mike Stoker mike.stoker@engage-agro.com

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Engage are pleased to announce the completion of a new partnership in the UAE with Elite World Trading for as Master distributor for their technologies across the MENA region.

The team at Elite World have been instrumental in the development of Engage’s Integrate technology over the past two years which will be the first technology to be released in the region.

‘We welcome Elite World Trading into the Engage family’

said Mark Horner, Director

‘We have been delighted with the efforts of CEO Rola Alatiyat and her team and look forward to developing a bespoke range of technologies for this important region.

See more about the product Integrate/Aqualatus Click here.

ELITE WORLD
General Trading L.L.C
Info@eliteworldgt.com
+971505734300

At Engage we understand the correct solution to your crop problem today can be turned into the profits of tomorrow. That is why our specialist nutritional agronomists work with many of the top performing growers/distributors in the UK and Europe.

Our technical team are nutritional specialists with in-depth knowledge of crop enhancement and nutritional products which comply with the ethos of sustainable agriculture. Agriculture is now refocusing away from traditional chemical inputs due to increased regulatory pressure and market demand, therefore, correct advice is essential.
UK food groups know that increased production of UK grown crops is key to long term food security and stability, so our agronomists offer the latest advice on the most up to date techniques and technologies to maximise soil and crop health to ensure consistent optimal marketable yield and quality.
To assist the change to more ecologically sound practice, our agronomists have a collective experience of over ninety years, which covers soil and foliar nutrition, micronutrient nutrition and health optimisation, covering all nutrient and bio-stimulatory inputs.
For your needs, your problems, your profitability, long term crop health, Engage has a wealth of agricultural knowledge which ensures first class technical support to your team.
So, how can we assist you?

Mark Horner, Agronomy Expertise:

Fully qualified BASIS and FACTS advisor for with over 30 years of nutritional agronomy experience.
Strong biochemistry background facilitating the formulation and development of many leading nutritional products sold across the world today.
Extensive knowledge in the nutrition of fruit crops, salad and tropical fruits and nut crops.
Expertise in the growing of tomatoes, berry plants, tropical fruits and ornamental plants.

Specialist areas include:

Provides detailed nutritional programmes to ensure consistency in yield and the highest quality crops thereby maximising crop value.
The development of a unique toolkit of nutritional products for customers to achieve optimal crop health and growth in order to improve quality and yield.
Advising on all aspects of fruit and ornamental crop nutrition from soil and growing media to advanced foliar support across Europe.

mark@engage-agro.com | 07502 300477

Andy Aspinall, Agronomy Expertise:

33 years’ experience as a leading grower, agronomist and dedicated horticulturist within the UK and Europe.
Assisting farmers and growers as a FACTS qualified advisor for over 20 years.
Extensive knowledge on plant nutrition and pathogenic problems.

Specialist areas include:

Identifying solutions to better crop health to increased yield and quality, thereby increasing revenue.
Designing specific crop programs on field vegetable and salad crops in order to maximise performance and reducing reliance on traditional chemistry.
Leading advisor on all aspects of hardy nursery stock and ornamental species to achieve the best results.

andy@engage-agro.com | 07880 342041

Mike Stoker, Agronomy Expertise:

Working within the fruit industry from grower to agronomist as a FACTS / BASIS qualified advisor for over 30 years.
The past 21 years focused wholly on soil and plant nutrition within the tree fruit sector and in viticulture.
A more holistic agronomic approach, emphasising and understanding the importance of plant health.

Specialist areas include:

A full understanding of nutrient interactions to optimise crop performance, providing the solutions to ensure the health and quality of the soil and crop.
Expertise in ‘regenerative’ practises as a long-term sustainable approach to growing facilitating enhanced crop production.
Producing full nutritional programming to optimise soil and plant health to secure higher crop performance.

mike.stoker@engage-agro.com | 07444 837 470

For further information:
Engage Europe Ltd
Mark Horner, Commercial Director
Tel: + 44 (0) 7502 300477
support@engagecropsolutions.com

MAS-Power Active Frost is a nutritional, powerful anti-stress liquid package designed to mitigate frost stress factors and reduce accumulation of ice crystals which are so damaging to young plant tissues and blossom.

100% organic food labels set in ribbon style

Active Frost is a combination of Boron, combined with carefully chosen plant amino acids and the addition of 30% of Engage’s proprietary MAS anti-stress concentrate.

How does Active Frost work?

Active Frost when applied to crops during cold stress periods or during frost events has triple activity. Applied 24 hours before a frost event three different modes of activity are seen:

Active Frost coats plant tissues to disrupt the formation of ice crystals which induce internal thermic reduction to increase the formation of ice in cells.
It provides localised changes in intracellular fluid content which increases the time it takes to form ice in cells and reduces the risk of long-term tissue damage.
Active Frost also penetrates tissues to provide and stimulate the production of compounds within cells and intracellular spaces. This dramatically reduces the stress response induced compounds produced during cold stress, again reducing long term damage, and aiding rapid tissue recovery.

A plants response to oxidative stress caused by cold

Environmental changes cause metabolic responses in plants which are focused on maintaining homeostasis inside cells. When the equilibrium between energy generation and consumption to maintain plant defences is broken, the growth and development of plants can be compromised, even resulting in death after a long-term exposure. An important environmental stress is low temperatures which can have a devastating effect on plants, leading to huge economic losses from fruit and vegetable crops.
Low temperatures have two major effects on growing plant tissues:

A general stress reaction resulting in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) compounds and free radicals in the plant tissue. ROS compounds (see picture right), for example H₂O₂ or O₂, cause the oxidation of cell membranes and finally lead to cell death.
Ice formation in the tissue. Plant tissues will be damaged by frost if there is ice formation inside the cells whereas ice formation in the intercellular space (cell walls) is less harmful. Ice formation depends on various factors such as ambient air temperature and humidity during the freezing hours as well as on the plant’s fitness.
Plants respond to low temperature stress by forming ‘antioxidant’ substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals. Antioxidants can eliminate ROS and prevent the cell membranes from disintegration.

The most effective antioxidants in plants are polyphenolic compounds and the metabolites they produce. Under stress conditions and when the antioxidant defences are overcome, the concentration of ROS can increase to harmful levels producing oxidative stress.
Coordinated action to support the antioxidant defences is necessary to protect the plants against the high concentration of ROS.

The most frost-sensitive plant parts are young plants (vegetable and salad crops), early season new growth (fruit crops) and open flowers (fruit trees). The following charts illustrate the temperature at which damage will occur to fruit blossom and early season growth.

Application

Active Frost can be applied in two ways:

Single Application
Apply Active Frost from 24-48 hours before a frost event as a 0.5% solution (5mls per litre) at normal spray rates for the growing crop. Engage recommend multiple applications of Active Frost to cover cold periods.
Apply in a minimum of 200L for vegetable crops and 300-400L for perennial species. For crops requiring higher water rates amend the application to adhere to the 0.5% solution. Once applied the effects of Active Frost will last for 4-6 days and cover multiple chilling events.
Regular Application
For continual cold periods where tissue acclimatisation has not been possible e.g early spring, Active Frost can be applied weekly at 0.5% solution. This will give continual support to plant tissues, protect against frost and cold damage and replace will with also enhance growth factors for the applied crop. Apply in a minimum of 200L for vegetable crops and 300-400L for perennial species. For crops requiring higher water rates amend the application to adhere to the 0.5% solution.

Components of Active Frost

30%    MAS-Power Anti-Stress concentrate
12%    Selected plant L-Amino acids
29%    Co-formulants
0.2%    Boron
pH   5.8
Appearance    Clear amber liquid

Compatibility

Active Frost is compatible with most agrochemicals and nutritional products however when mixing with multiple products or new products for the first time, a simple jar test is recommended.
For further information please read the label.
It is important to note that unhealthy or weak plant tissues or crops are more susceptible to frost and we always recommend a full programme of nutrient support to allow early tissue growth to be strong during the late frost period. Active Frost is a nutritional product and as such we cannot guarantee that it will be 100% effective against extreme frost events.

See the Active Frost Product Page

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

New for 2021 from Engage is a new water additive technology, Aqualatus Ca™. The new technology comes from the Aqualatus/Integrate stable of surfactants but unlike its predecessors it is specifically aimed at rapid coir hydration and expansion, salt leaching and optimisation of nutritional exchange sites through the substrate hydration process.

Aqualatus Ca makes the most of the unique technologies used to make Aqualatus/Integrate. Aqualatus Ca comes with four separate polymers and wetters which rapidly hydrate and expand coir, eight times faster than water alone. This rapid expansion allows for the leaching process to be achieved more successfully and most importantly, predominately before planting, so root growth in the newly planted coir is less inhibited.

Aqualatus Ca has the following benefits:

Optimises the hydration process of coir to increase water penetration and coir expansion.
Water penetration and expansion of coir slabs at up to eight times the normal speed.
Initiates and accelerates the leaching of high salts naturally present in new coir slabs.
Creates equilibrium in all growing media to aid moisture and nutrient distribution throughout the season.
Regular 4- 6 weekly application of Aqualatus Ca throughout the season supports optimal water and nutrient balance, whilst ameliorating the potential for adverse ion build up.

Aqualatus Ca was developed following very positive trials in Sri Lanka which were progressed over a 3 year period. Initial trials concentrated on incorporating Aqualatus directly onto coir in the production process to allow growers to benefit from the technology; however it became clear that Aqualatus completely changes the physicality of the coir, so that it is no longer a hydrophobic medium.

The addition of 8% calcium in Aqualatus Ca is present to support and accelerate the coir leaching process. Within any growing media there are exchange sites where nutrient cations are bonded to the media itself. The majority of coir slab exchange sites are tied up with sodium and potassium which is naturally present. These ions are not strongly bonded and will readily be replaced by calcium. Early applications of calcium will be tied up during the exchange capacity process taking out sodium and potassium so the addition of Aqualatus Ca will accelerate this important process.

Aqualatus Ca is ideal for growers who wish to begin the hydration the coir process early in 2021.

For further information:
Engage Europe Ltd
Mark Horner, Commercial Director
Tel: + 44 (0) 7502 300477
support@engagecropsolutions.com

Since its launch in 2016 Sion has developed into the leading Silicon technology across Europe and has gained a loyal following across the fruit and vegetable sectors. Sion is now synonymous with the soft fruit industry in the UK and with berry growers as far as Guatemala and South Korea.

For 2021 there is exciting news
The formulation of Sion has now been concentrated to increase the available silicon level from 19% to 21%. Also due to new stabilisation capabilities, Sion will be available in a 5 litre container for the first time and will be significantly more cost effective in use.

Trials Advancements
The original trials work with Stabilised Silicic Acid was conducted by Hertfordshire University by Dr Avice Hall and her team who proved:

Silicon is used by berry crops to reinforce cellular integrity.
More available silicon in strawberry crops increases plant hair production.
Silicon is used by strawberries to thicken and strengthen cuticle tissues around the plant and produces structures on the leaf surface called phytoliths.
The use of silicon reduces the susceptibility to strawberry powdery mildew when regularly used as a nutrient via fertigation or via foliar application.
Silicon promotes cuticle thickening and strengthening, plus increased hair production reduces the potential for invertebrate attack with regular use.

Engage has now developed commercial use rates for many crops and advanced the technology further focusing on other growth benefits that silicon brings to fruit and vegetables across Europe. Over the past five years trials have highlighted to following benefits:

Sion will support the development and strength of cells. Once a plant absorbs the silicon in Sion, it is permanently deposited into cell walls within a matter of hours forming a stronger silica-cellulose framework thereby enabling the plant to develop faster.
Plants with more silicon become stronger with thicker stems and branches enabling them to support more leaf, flower and fruit which in turn facilitate an increase in the yielding potential of all crops. This is vitally important with fruiting crops as Sion will prevent ‘kinking’ in fruit trusses which can lead to smaller fruit.
Sion increases the speed at which growth can be created thereby increasing overall growth potential of the plant as well as maintaining cell integrity and plant strength.
Increasing the uptake and absorption of other nutrient activity. Sion increases zinc, nitrogen and phosphorus uptake and when applying Sion there is a corresponding increase of nutrient flow into crops.
Sion alleviates abiotic and biotic stresses in all fruit and vegetable species by reinforcing leaf cuticle and other epidermal tissues. This natural reinforcement of tissues results in a significant reduction in crop susceptibility to pathogenic pressure and insect predation.

For further information:
Engage Europe Ltd
Mark Horner, Commercial Director
Tel: + 44 (0) 7502 300477
support@engagecropsolutions.com

For all our Spanish speaking colleagues please watch the wonderful Inma Martinez talk about the work she and our partners Agroliner are doing with Integrate in Spain.

Benefits of Integrate

Formulated to give an excellent initial wetting of agricultural soils and cultivation substrates.

Applicable to: cereals, leafy crops, vegetables, citrus fruits, berries, fruiting vegetables, ornamentals.

Optimizes penetration and lateral movement of applied water and nutrients.

Maximizes water absorption and irrigation efficiency.

Helps root distribution.

It can be applied to all types of soils and cultivation substrates.

It improves the re-wetting of the areas, favoring root development.

Prolonged effect.

Contains 61% Triblock Co-polymer and 19% Glucoethers.

Integrate is 80% active surfactant.

See Full Agroliner Page on their website: Click here

The UK has committed to becoming a Net Zero economy by 2050. Meeting that goal requires a transformation in land use across the UK. Government must confront the rapid changes that are now needed, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says in its first ever in-depth advice on UK agricultural policies.

In 2017, land use – including agriculture, forestry and peatland – accounted for 12% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050, with the right support, farmers and land-managers can reduce these emissions by almost two thirds. This transition is necessary for Net Zero, it will create net benefits for the UK and leave our land more resilient to the changing climate.
The Committee’s new report, Land use: Policies for a Net Zero UK, presents a detailed range of options to drive emissions reductions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is published at a time of significant change, as the UK leaves the European Union and the Common Agricultural Policy. In Westminster, new Agriculture and Environment Bills are being introduced this month. Similar legislation is planned in Scotland and Wales – opening the way to the steps recommended by the Committee.
Lord Deben, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, said:

“Changing the way we use our land is critical to delivering the UK’s Net Zero target. The options we are proposing would see farmers and land managers – the stewards of the land – delivering actions to reduce emissions. Doing so can provide new revenue opportunities for farmers, better air quality and improved biodiversity, and more green spaces for us all to enjoy. But major changes are required and action from government is needed quickly if we are to reap the rewards.”

The Committee’s in-depth analysis shows that emissions from UK land use can be reduced by 64% to around 21 MtCO2e by 2050. The report demonstrates that this can be achieved without producing less food in the UK or increasing imports from elsewhere.

There are five objectives for new policy:

Increase tree planting – increasing UK forestry cover from 13% to at least 17% by 2050 by planting around 30,000 hectares (90 – 120 million trees) of broadleaf and conifer woodland each year.

Encourage low-carbon farming practices – such as ‘controlled-release’ fertilisers, improving livestock health and slurry acidification.

Restore peatlands – restoring at least 50% of upland peat and 25% of lowland peat.

Encourage bioenergy crops – expanding UK energy crops to around 23,000 hectares each year.

Reduce food waste and consumption of the most carbon-intensive foods – reduce the 13.6 million tonnes of food waste produced annually by 20% and the consumption of beef, lamb and dairy by at least 20% per person, well within current healthy eating guidelines.

The Committee is proposing a mix of regulations and incentives to drive these changes and provide land managers with the long-term clarity they need. The actions identified would release around one-fifth of agricultural land for actions that reduce emissions and store carbon.

Strengthening the regulatory baseline – Extending existing regulation to reduce on-farm emissions and using new legislation to further regulate agricultural emissions. Banning damaging practices such as rotational burning on peatland and peat extraction.
New funding and revenue raising actions – A new market-based measure to promote tree planting, either through auctioned contracts similar to those offered for renewable electricity or with the inclusion of forestry in a carbon trading scheme. This should be funded by a levy on greenhouse gas-emitting industries like aviation, but must not offset emissions reductions needed to meet Net Zero in other parts of the economy. Separately, public funding should encourage further steps: low-carbon farming practices, like precision farming, peatland restoration and the non-carbon benefits of land use change like flood risk alleviation and recreation.

Measures to enable rapid change – Support schemes to strengthen skills, training for low-carbon farming and raise awareness of sustainable management of lowland peat. Low-interest loans for energy crops and an agreement with biomass combustion facilities to source a minimum proportion of their feedstock from the UK.

The Committee’s assessment shows that these measures carry a total cost of around £1.4 billion per year, generating wider benefits of £4bn per year. Much of this funding can be provided privately – the total cost should be met through a combination of public and private funding. This will be a key consideration for the Treasury in its Net Zero Review of costs. At present, the UK deploys £3.3bn each year through the Common Agricultural Policy.

Engage Agro, a leading supplier of crop enhancement products, is rebranding as Engage Crop Solutions as it embarks on an ambitious new period of international growth.

After a record 2022, which saw significant growth, Engage is targeting new overseas markets and is bringing a range of innovative solutions to growers while also expanding its team.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Fortify Cu

Bio-Chel Ca

Sentinel

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For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

The UK fruit growers working with a transformational new water additive technology are hailing “spectacular” results after seeing water usage cut by almost 90% when rehydrating coir bags.

“The Aqualatus technology has been trialled with growers around the world for the past 10 years and we have seen significant results, both in terms of water savings and in crop and yield quality.

“Aqualatus is making massive improvements to the business because it brings predictability and uniformity to the system.

“We are saving a huge amount of energy and time as a result of Aqualatus – it is making a significant difference.

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

A UK crop input specialist has created a cutting-edge technology to help solve the water shortage crisis in the Middle East by slashing billions of litres of water from use in agriculture.

“We are in the red zone. This region faces a lot of stresses, from the heat to the soil quality but, the greatest challenge for agriculture in the Middle East is the water shortage.

“Aqualatus will cut the water used by agriculture in half and that will have a massive impact on the future of the region.”

“We have worked for 10 years to develop Aqualatus and we believe it should be a key part of the solution, ensuring agriculture can dramatically cut the amount of water it needs and helping to ensure water remains available to everyone.

“There’s nothing else like Aqualatus that can deliver the same successful results. We are suffering from a severe lack of water here and Aqualatus has a big potential for this region.

“The high price of water, the shortages and the types of water available to agriculture are all very challenging. Aqualatus can change all that for growers – it is an amazing product.”

Case Study

For more information on this trial, or to access more trials, please contact Mark Horner at Engage Crop Solutions at mark.horner@engagecropsolutions.com

There is a Solution!

Coir (Cocopeat)

Green Waste

Compost Enhancements

Overall, by using Engage bespoke products, for compost manufacture, retail compost manufacturers will improve the quality of compost and witness production cost savings, with a premium offer to market.

Things are changing here at Engage as we have now changed our company name to Engage Crop Solutions Ltd.

Important changes to noteAll Engage email addresses have been updated in line with the new rebranding, so it’s worth noting the following important ones.

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For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Aqualatus (also known as Integrate) is transforming agriculture in the Middle East and across the world by helping farmers and growers cut water usage by 50% while maintaining or even improving plant health and crop yields.

Saving water, providing security and delivering growth

Conserve Water, Conserve Life

Product Sheet

Integrate Water Reduction Study – AMWAJ Landscape

Trial Report and Business Case – Protected Cantaloupe

Trial Report and Business Case – Olive Trees

Trial Report and Business Case – Protected Vine Tomato

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For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Engage Crop Solutions, leading fruit nutrition innovators are focusing their attention on growth management for tree fruit crops seasons.

So how does the approach work?

Bio-Chel Ca

MAS-Power Fruit

VerdeNT

‘VerdeNT does two things; it delivers nitrogen in forms which stimulate a shorter growth habit and removes apical dominance and also extends the period of availability so its efficiency in vastly increased’

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For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

The issue of Flea Beetle predation is nothing new and in 2019 it was stated that more than half of oilseed rape crops that survived last autumn’s flea beetle onslaught were infested with larvae at levels that significantly reduced yields.

How does Sentinel work?

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For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Do you often wonder which is the best calcium to use at root level or as a foliar nutrient?Do you sometimes feel that foliar calcium fertilisers don’t work or don’t give the results you expected?

The Bio-Chel range encompassed three products:

Bio-Chel Ca Powder

Bio-Chel Ca Liquid

Opti-Cal

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

At fruit focus 2022, Engage Crop Solutions launched Fortify Maxx. Building on the success of their Fortify platform of market leading biostimulatory technologies such as Fortify Cu and Fortify XD, Fortify Maxx introduces a brand new technology, Phenophites.

So, what is oxidative stress and why do we need to reduce its effects on crops?

So, what is Fortify Maxx ?

50% reduction in water saving

“With regular use of Aqualatus, the slowing of gravitational movement of water, naturally promotes increased lateral water movement.”

Increased efficacy of nutrients and soil applied products

Equilibrium and of air and water

Soil Aggregation

“Under regular use, Aqualatus in irrigation water not only manages the balance of air and water but also its micelles create a web of the polymers, which is very much like a mycelial network, in the soil.”

Water Management

Root Activity

Business Case

The question of whether growers can afford to use a technology such as Aqualatus is fast being replaced by ‘can’ growers afford not to!

Engage, leading innovators in fruit nutrition, launched the new substrate additive for Jan 2021 specifically created to optimise the ‘wet up’ process of coir slabs.

Water retention v hydration

“There is a delay before the cation exchange capacity can be fully charged with calcium, potassium and magnesium”.

Aqualatus Ca use throughout the season

For more info…

For more information on any products or advice from one of our agronomists call us on +44(0) 1257 226590

Important changes to note
All Engage email addresses have been updated in line with the new rebranding, so it’s worth noting the following important ones.

Do you often wonder which is the best calcium to use at root level or as a foliar nutrient?
Do you sometimes feel that foliar calcium fertilisers don’t work or don’t give the results you expected?