38 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2018 INSIDERS ADVICE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS Using Biologicals to Remodel a Plant’s Microbiome MOST ABM’s biologicals are formulated as seed treatments that contain a few strains of Trichoderma that we know work sym- biotically with the plant to improve plant performance. Several mechanisms enable these changes in plant performance includ- ing induced changes in the host plant’s gene expression and a remodeling of the rhizosphere microbiome (phytobiome) or root-associated microbial community. Remarkably, this remodeling results in changes in how this microbial community functions, all due to the introduction of the endophytic seed treatment. The plant reacts to everything in the soil, including the microbes already pre- sent. The plant, the microbes, the avail- able nutrients and a multitude of other factors all make up the local environ- ment. The ability to survive in this envi- ronment is called fitness, and is exactly what the evolutionary tenant “survival of the fittest” refers to.  Microbes work together as communities to survive and plants growing in the soil must be capable of also working with these microbes to thrive. The introduction of our biological seed treatments has the effect of remod- eling that community to enable the best resource utilization and the best survival within that environment is the goal. Like the conductor of an orchestra. To take this analogy further, a good conductor will be able to lead any orchestra and produce beautiful music. Introducing a small number of robust strains as seed treatments can aid in reduction of agricultural variability because, even across environments, those strains can promote the good actors and suppress the bad actors for the very selfish goal of forming a better niche or environment in which to grow and acquire nutrients.  An alternate approach also being tested is the introduction of reconstituted micro- biomes, ostensibly containing all micro- bial members required for a productive plant. This strategy will rely on all of these microbes being robust in all environments and does not necessarily provide a functional “conductor” for the microbial “orchestra.” MOLLY CADLE-DAVIDSON, ABM CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER @ABM1st • Mollycadle-davidson@abm1st.com • abm1st.com AT HUSKER HARVEST DAYS this past September, a gentleman came through our exhibit and you would not have known that he had never treated seed before; he was a farmer. In short, he purchased seed from two different dealers (one system set up with several manual switches and dials for control- ling the equipment, and another with a touch screen interface and complete PLC automation). He noted the resulting end product produced by both systems looked very similar. An in-depth conver- sation followed. As competition in this segment is fierce and commodity prices low, dealers have had to reinvent how they sell seed; one can no longer rely on long-standing relation- ships and loyalty. Farmers are looking hard at the value of your product, relationship and their input costs. Dealers have sought to add value in ways no one else can —through equip- ment, seed treatment, digital platforms, agronomic advice and other services. And they’ve got to do it better than anyone else with a similar product. First, I’d like to offer up some much deserved kudos to those suppliers and dealers who create and maintain a profes- sional-looking business that’s attractive to customers. This is made possible, in part by the equipment’s sleek operator inter- face, automation and added transparency showing the customer exactly what they purchased and how much is on the seed. This automation provides a level of transparency to farmers and consistency What Do Farmers Value? JASON KAEB KSI CONVEYORS DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT @jasonkaeb_ksi • JasonKaeb@ksiconveyors.com • KSiConveyors.com that can be replicated over and over again. You’re not relying on a person, who can get sick, who can get distracted or who might just be having a bad day, and no one is immune to any of those situations. In the world that we live in, product accuracy is not a target that we hope to hit or a goal that we aim to meet; it’s a must. “With the one supplier, there’s an addi- tional level of transparency and comfort because I get a ticket that prints out, and I know exactly what I’m getting. With the other supplier, I just have to take his word for it, which isn’t a big deal because I trust him,” said the farmer in our booth. I have to wonder how long that “trust” will keep his business. Remember: Farmers value transparency and automation.