GarrCo Products introduces Digest, a biological crop residue management technology with 29 highly concentrated strains of beneficial microorganisms that are proven to significantly break down tough crop residue that can cause problems when planting and damage expensive tractor tires. The faster stubble and crop residues break down, the less remaining in the spring that will tie up nutrients, inhibit germination and harbor insects and plant diseases.
Crop residue is tougher today because of the increased use of fungicides and insect trains that increase stalk strength and slow decomposition. Digest breaks down crop residues that cause problems and turns them into an asset by releasing tied up nutrients.
Today, most crop residue practices have significant environmental issues or are just nutritional supplements designed to feed existing microorganism populations. It can take a long time to build up the right type of microbial populations because they often start at very low levels on the crop residue. Digest gives a very high concentration of the right type of microorganisms to digest tough crop residues like lignin and cellulose. Digest also has microbes selected to produce a long-term source of food for the microbes that digest crop residues.
The continual release of nutrients from the breakdown of crop residue can increase crop yields above a single or split fertilizer approach with lower total nitrogen applied. The microbes are selected to digest dead plant material, so they can be applied pre- or post-harvest. Digest also reduces volunteer corn.