The future of biological research will take a variety of different forms as the products become more widely adopted. As the number of biological products increases and implementation expands, there will be a multitude of questions to answer moving forward. Ph.D. student in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois, Connor Sible has been working to address some of the uncertainties in the world of biologics. Looking to the future, there are substantial opportunities to learn more about their use and value in agricultural production.
“We genuinely think these are here to stay and as the science develops and we get new generations of these products, they’re really going to improve efficacy,” said Sible. “The next steps are going to be pairing biologicals with our fertility management to help make sure that fertilizer, when we apply it, gets into the plant, as opposed to lost with the water or eroded with our soils.”
Biological products of every kind have been looked at to address a wide array of different issues. Many have been shown to be quite effective in achieving their desired results. Sible said that as the market expands, another avenue of biological research will include a close evaluation of the long-term use of different products.
“What happens to my soil and my field if I use these biologicals four years in a row?” Sible noted. “Are we constantly improving that soil productivity over time and therefore going to get better yields and better nutrient management as we continue to use these, year after year? Those are the next steps that we’ll be looking at.”
Listen to the full episode with Connor Sible.
‘Making Sense of Biologicals’ is a series from AgNet West that dives into various topics with unbiased experts in the field of biologics to help the industry better understand the product category.
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