Philom Bios Inc.
3935 Thatcher Avenue
Saskatoon, SK Canada S7R 1A3
1-888-744-5662
www.philombios.com

Inoculants by Crop - JumpStart - Alfalfa/Sweetclover

JumpStart, the phosphate inoculant, contains the naturally occurring soil fungus Penicillium bilaii, discovered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It colonizes plant roots and makes the ‘fixed’ mineral forms of less available soil phosphate immediately available for crop use.

JumpStart promotes greater phosphate use efficiency, which results in quick emergence, early vigour, greater stress tolerance, and more even maturity. JumpStart delivers a safe method of supplying phosphate to growing plants and reduces the need to seed-place high rates of fertilizer phosphate with sensitive seed like soybean, canola, pea and lentil.

Alfalfa has a high requirement for nutrients with many sources considering phosphate the most limiting nutrient in alfalfa production.  Approximately15 pounds of P2O5 are removed with every ton of alfalfa harvested.

Phosphate is Responsible for:

• Root development – crucial for recovery and over winter survival as well as moisture and nutrient uptake from greater volumes of soil.
• Early crop development – plants require phosphate to get up and out of the ground as quickly as possible.
• Effective nodulation – phosphate is required for nodule formation and function in all pulse crops.  Alfalfa can fix the majority of its nitrogen requirements but nitrogen fixation can not take place with out access to phosphate.
• Energy storage and transfer – phosphate is required for photosynthesis and therefore for plant growth using the sun’s energy.
• Seed formation – phosphate is required as a structural component of seed if you are growing forages for seed.
• Stand recovery – a good supply of phosphate means your forage stands recover faster after cutting.

JumpStart Increases Phosphate Availability
JumpStart increases the availability of phosphate by forming a symbiotic relationship with the plant.  The plant’s roots produce sugars that feed JumpStart while JumpStart solubilizes phosphate making it available for the plant to take up.  Better phosphate availability means higher yields.

8 trials conducted over 3 years prove the performance of JumpStart on alfalfa.

¹Net returns were calculated using 5 year average (2000-2004) US commodity prices for crops and fertilizer less the 2005 suggested retail price for JumpStart.
²Average yield response applied to a target yield of 150 bu/ac to calculate net return/acre on corn.
3Total and average of wheat, winter wheat, canola and pea/lentil trials.
495% confidence limit is $1.31 per acre. This means the net return for all crops will range between $4.20 and $8.63 per acre 19 times out of 20.
5Average P fertilizer difference is 15.1 lbs P2O5 per acre on the no JumpStart control strips.

JumpStart Application
JumpStart is sold as a wettable powder that is mixed into water and applied to the seed prior to seeding.

JumpStart Application Rates for Alfalfa and Sweetclover

For more information on the unique features of JumpStart click on JumpStart or see the Inoculant Application Methods section for more information on application.

Better Nodulation and Nitrogen Fixation
Phosphate plays a critical role in nitrogen fixation and thereby enhances growth, yield and maturity in legumes. Research shows that adequate phosphate nutrition brings many benefits in legumes:
• More extensive root growth - provides greater opportunity for the development of nitrogen-fixing nodules.
• Faster development of active nodules - results in greater nitrogen fixation.

MultiAction Fertility
See TagTeam alfalfa/sweetclover section for more information on how JumpStart the phosphate inoculant is combined with Sinorhizobium meliloti, the Rhizobium species for alfalfa and sweetclover for even greater yields.