Envu Research shines new light on Stressgard™ formulation benefits
Stressgard™ - Beyond Disease Control
Over the past 25 years, one technology has revolutionised an entire category of plant protection products for turf managers worldwide. Envu Stressgard formulated products offer plant health benefits that go beyond disease control to mitigate biotic and abiotic stresses across turf areas. The physiological benefits of Stressgard have been proven in the laboratory, controlled environments, university field trials, and real-world golf course demonstration trials.
Unique Stressgard™ Technology
Stressgard Technology, unique to Envu, encompasses a special blend of active substances, inert ingredients and turf specific co-formulants. This unique combination enables the product to perform exceptionally well in various turf stress conditions, offering benefits beyond those solely provided by the active substance(s), these incluse:
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Enhanced turf colour and…
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Improved UV stress management via turf specific pigments
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Increased drought tolerance
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Optimised photosynthesis
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Improved overall turf quality and performance
A New Era of Turf Health Research
Envu continues to spearhead research projects worldwide to explore the beneficial effects of Stressgard. Across numerous trials, one commonality is that Stressgard formulated products consistently outperform other pigments and plant health products, significantly improving overall turf quality and effectively mitigating stresses such as wear, heat, shade, and drought. Despite years of research, the question of how Stressgard works physiologically has remained unanswered.
Now, through collaborations with leading turfgrass physiologists and using modern advances in biochemical research, we’ve taken a deeper look into the underlying mechanisms that drive plant health to answer this question.
A recent research trial by Dr. Bingru Huang at Rutgers University investigated, in the absence of any disease pressure, the influence of Stressgard formulated fungicides (Signature Xtra Stressgard) and other phosphonate-based products and pigments on factors involved in turfgrass stress responses. These factors included:
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Chlorophyll-related enzymes: Chlorophyll is built and destroyed in a cyclical pattern. Individual components of this process can be influenced by various abiotic stresses (heat, drought, traffic etc.). We can measure the enzymes associated with chlorophyll synthesis (the builders) and degradation (the destroyers) to gain a better understanding of what’s going on during plant stress.
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Chlorophyll content: Chlorophyll is the machinery in the plant which carries out photosynthesis and builds energy reserves. Direct measurements of chlorophyll via extraction are most indicative of the health of the photosynthetic systems in the plant.
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Membrane stability: Measured via electrolyte leakage, membrane stability is a hallmark of stress response in intact plant cells and is widely used as a measure of plant stress tolerance.
The Results
Previous research from 2003, has shown the positive effects of Stressgard formulated fungicides on chlorophyll and photosynthesis under heat stress (figure 1).
Figure 1: Growth Chamber Heat Stress Trial, Dr. Bingru Huang, 2003, Rutgers University. Results from 8-week heat stress trial on bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) conducted in a growth chamber.
However, new research further confirms stress mitigation through the maintenance of chlorophyll and membrane stability with Stressgard products. Under heat stress conditions, when compared to the untreated control and other competitive products, turf treated with the Stressgard formulated products exhibited:
1. Significantly HIGHER levels of chlorophyll indicating healthier photosynthetic systems during stress (Figure 2).
2. Significantly LOWER chlorophyll degrading enzyme activity indicating protection or mitigation of chlorophyll destruction during stress.
Figure 2: Cumulative chlorophyll content before, during and after 42 days of heat stress. Note significantly higher chlorophyll content in Stressgard fungicides treatment (Signature Xtra) compared to similar products with and without added turf pigment.
3. Significantly LOWER electrolyte leakage indicating greater membrane stability during stress (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Membrane stability as indicated by cumulative electrolyte leakage throughout the duration of the stress study. Note significant reduction in membrane leakage with Signature Xtra Stressgard treatment, signifying a more stable membrane.
Implications of Stressgard™ for Turf?
When we analyse turf health and performance using NDVI*, it is evident that Stressgard formulated products go beyond disease control, profoundly impacting turf health:
The Stressgard™ Process
Conclusion
Photosynthesis is the driver of all plant energy production and subsequent processes. The protection and maintenance of chlorophyll with Stressgard ultimately improves the turf’s ability to photosynthesise, which is beneficial under any stress condition. Two decades of research has continued to support the unique and unparalleled effects that Stressgard fungicides deliver beyond disease control.
