Natural approach

Healthy, resilient crops. Which grower doesn't want this? In our opinion this is feasible. And also in a responsible, commercially healthy way and taking into account our responsibility to ‘man and environment’.

On the one hand, by using a well thought-out and targeted crop protection approach. Using products on a natural basis whenever possible and only using chemical products when absolutely necessary (ICM - integrated crop management).

By then looking at the entire crop: are there flaws, what does it need to be able to grow optimally, to become and stay healthy. In other words, by looking at your crop from our system-oriented approach.

And finally, to work with products that supplement shortages where necessary and level up maintain the overall resistance of your crop. Products consisting of ingredients based on nature.

This approach and these products together lead to a large number of benefits, for your crops and therefore for you. In terms of quality, production, residue-free cultivation and storability.

PlantoSys develops products to keep plants vital and healthy in various crops, even under unfavourable (cultivation) conditions. To this end, we have developed both biostimulants and fertilisers (with CE mark).

With our biostimulants we focus on the consequences of abiotic (stress) factors such as weather influences (hail damage, sun, temperature differences), the amount of light, soil composition (impoverishment).

And our fertisilers can be used in the event of a shortage, or even better, to prevent such a shortage. 
PlantoSys has specific fertilisers with copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and calcium (Ca). Each of these elements is necessary for photosynthesis, the production of proteins (Cu), or the production of phytoplasts. In addition, Calcium provides strong cells and therefore a resilient crop. 

We adhere to a system-oriented approach, whether it concerns our biostimulants or our fertilisers or a combination of both. That is also what the 'Sys' in PlantoSys stands for. It's in our genes: with our products we aim to strengthen the entire system and stimulate the self-healing capacity of your crop. We do this by means of administration from the outside (via leaf spraying and uptake via the roots) with effects inside the plant. Our ingredients reach the entire plant and help your crop to strengthen itself from the inside. 

We make use of knowledge that we obtain directly from nature itself. For example, we have developed (organic) products in easily absorbable form, containing (in various effective combinations) amino acids, willow bark extract, silicon, colloidal silver, micro copper, manganese and micro zinc and seaweed extract). Each with their own specific effects, to be used on their own or in combinations that reinforce each other. And always based on nature, even complementary to it, where nature is impoverished. So they are recognizable and easily absorbed by your crops, which become and remain healthier, more vital and more robust. 

We apply a unique treatment to these ingredients where useful that makes them retain their positive effects for longer: a difference from 2 to as much as 6 or 7 days. And we make use of mutually reinforcing combinations: here, too, our system-oriented thinking is shown.

A limited selection of our very diverse solutions and their effects: 

• Strengthening of cell wall and epidermis - SilicaPower, Nutricin
• Resistance increasing - SalicylPuur, ArgicinPlus and Nutricin
• Improved absorption capacity (trace) elements (SalicylPure, ArgicinPlus, Nutricin, SilicaPower and Argentum)
• Stress-reducing (allowing your crop to grow better)
  • wounds caused by crop treatments - ArgicinPlus
  • damage caused by weather influences such as hail - ArgicinPlus
• Increase self-healing power - SalicylPure, ArgicinPlus
• Better distribution of elements by the plant - SilicaPower
• With a mutually reinforcing effect (Argentum with SalicylPure, Ds-Lime with Cuprum and ManZincum (Ds-mix), Cuprum with ArgicinPlus
• Increased yields (through increased photosynthesis, production of more sugars, increased absorption capacity and thus extra growth and quality) - SalicylPure, SilicaPower, Argentum, Nutricin and/or ArgicinPlus.

Always based on these principles (systemic, reinforcing and based on nature itself) we have developed, tested and marketed our products. And over the years we have also been able to adapt them to specific cultivation and application methods. For example, we now have extensive experience in the following sectors: greenhouse vegetables, pot plants, cut flowers, bulbs, tree nursery, herbs, pome fruit, stone fruit, soft fruit and seed potatoes.

We apply some strict criteria in the development of our products. The result is a product range that meets many requirements and needs with the following advantages:

Some have been specifically developed for the greenhouse cultivations to be drip fed from the A fertiliser feeder: SalicylPure and SilicaPower

Others are suitable for spraying or application via LVM: ArgicinPlus, Argentum and Cuprum.

 

• All of our products are of natural origin.Several products are fertilisers with CE mark: Argentum, ArgicinPlus, Cuprum, Ds-Lime and ManZincum,

• And several have been classified as biostimulants: Nutricin, CE marked biostimulant SalicylPure and CE marked biostimulant SilicaPower.

• All our products may be used alone. If necessary, some of our products may occasionally be supplemented with chemical agents. We will be happy to advise you on this, also with regard to the correct dosages.

• Some ingredients work so well together that we have used them to develop a separate product containing their combination: easy to apply and proven to be more effective: ArgicinPlus, ManZincum and Nutricin.

• Other ingredients also proved to be useful on their own. Resulting in the following cost efficient products: Argentum, Cuprum, Ds-Lime, SalicylPure and SilicaPower.

• Seven of our ingredients deserve special attention due to their particular effectiveness: 
  • willow bark extract,
  • colloidal silver,
  • micro copper,
  • silicon (orthosilicic acid) and
  • the combination of manganese and micro zinc
  • 97% lime
  • amino acids
     

The metal particles in our products:

• do not lump together in solution so that the product remains stable for two years or longer;
• stick to the leaf as if magnetised, increasing their plant-strengthening effect, and don't wash off in the rain.
• All of our products are residue-free, show no growth inhibition, have no re-entry restrictions and no safety term to be taken into account at harvest.

And we have not stopped here. Every day we gain new experiences, either as a company, through our dealers or through the growers who use our products. We continue to invest in research to provide us with new information, and we continue to try to make the most effective products possible.

Registered brand names

And if you are curious to know in which markets our products have been registered?
Please contact Mrs Wytske Elzinga on +31 (0)6 47 03 77 13 or administratie[at]plantosys.nl.

We develop products using natural ingredients. Each product has one or more components, each of which is of natural origin. All with one goal: to help the plant use its own resilience and self-healing capacity effectively. So we don't add chemicals, but help the plant to make itself more resilient, in a natural way. And with results!

In addition to the fact that your crops need a healthy (nutrient) soil, three defence routes in the plant itself play a role in their resilience. These are named after the plant hormone that initiates the route: 

• the abscisic acid route - makes the plant resistant to e.g. excess salt or too high temperatures,
• the jasmonic acid route - plays a role in necrotrophic fungi and insects,
• the salicylic acid pathway - functions particularly in the case of infestation by biotrophic fungi, which have an interest in living cells, bacteria and viruses. 

 

The following ingredients form the natural basis of all our products. Depending on the crop for which the product has been developed, the application method and/or other practical requirements, they are applied alone or in combination.

When developing our products, we take into account not only the diversity of crops/crops, but also the various methods of administration (drip feefing, spraying, LVM, etc.). 

List of ingredients

• Willow bark extract

  By adding willow bark extract to the plant from the outside, either by spraying the leaves or administering through the roots, the concentration throughout the plant increases, resulting in a more robust and more vital crop.

  
  

  In addition to making your crop more robust, studies and demos show that the root development of plants that have received additional willow bark extract is better. These crops have 8 to 10% more root weight. They root faster and develop a better, healthier root system. This allows the plants to absorb their nutrients and water better, which is immediately noticeable in the increased production of the dry matter.

  This in turn leads to accelerated growth: faster more roots, faster more leaves, more photosynthesis, more plants. In fruit and vegetable cultivation, this leads to more kilos: larger and heavier harvests and with constant, good brix levels.

  Finally, willow bark extract stimulates the plant to form extra callus. This property is used for example in the tomato cultivation: the wounds causedby leaf picking of cutting dry out more quickly.Wound tissue even forms along the edges of the wound. 

  Willow bark extract is the main ingredient in SalicylPure and is also present in the same concentration in ArgicinPlus and Nutricin.

• Colloidal silver

  Colloidal silver (Ag) plays an important role in the absorption capacity of trace elements, the growth of your crop and thus your yields. 

  
  

  Strengthening effect willow bark extract and absorption capacity of trace elements

  Silver on the one hand enhances the effect of willow bark extract. It has also been shown that applying low doses of colloidal silver to plants improves the absorption of elements such as Mg, N, Fe and other trace elements.

  More photosynthesis, more sugars, more growth

  Furthermore, research shows that colloidal silver increases the chlorophyll content of plants, allowing more photosynthesis and producing more sugars (i.e. glucose). As a result, your crop can grow faster.

  Help in case of unfavourable weather conditions

  In addition, the silver reduces the effects of hail and other severe weather conditions. As a result, your crop suffers less stress and strain and can grow better.

  Furthermore, the metal particles break the light, creating diffused light that penetrates deeper into the leaf. In sunny conditions in particular, the leaf temperature will rise less quickly, your crop can continue to evaporate for longer and photosynthesis can take place for this reason as well.

  Reducing other forms of plant stress

  Crop treatments cause (invisible) wounds, resulting in unwanted stress. For example, in the cultivation of Phalaenopsis during canes. In order to prevent the loss of buds during the last weeks of the long cultivation, we recommend the use of colloidal silver.

  As a post-harvest effect, silver has the same stress-reducing effect. Apples that have been sprayed at least 3 times with Argentum (colloidal silver) in the last weeks before harvesting come out of the cold store 'fresher'. Especially if the crates in which the apples are kept are kept clean with ArgiPura. This way, for example we realised an increase of class A of Golden by 30 to 40%.

  In short:

  By administering colloidal silver, you can increase your yield in various ways.

  Colloidal silver is the main ingredient of Argentum.
  It also occurs in the following products: ArgicinPlus and ArgiPura.

• Micro copper

  Micro-copper (Cu) strengthens your plants and has a function in the production of proteins.  

  
  

  Copper has a positive influence on, for example, enzymes for nitrogen conversion, which promotes growth and photosynthesis and therefore the quality of your crop.

  Our own production method, in which we give a positive charge to the copper particles, guarantees an excellent distribution of the copper metal particles and a longer lasting effect.

  With only 7 to 14 grams of micro copper per application/ha, the quantity of pure copper/ha administered is many times smaller than that of, for example, copper oxychloride.
  As a result there is no growth inhibition and with residue values up to only 2.4% of the MRL.

  Micro copper is the main ingredient in Cuprum and is also present in ArgiPura.

• Manganese and micro zinc

  Micro-zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) make the plant more robust and increase plant resilience.

  
  

  Micro Zinc and Manganese are applied as foliar fertilizer and help to increase plant resilience. The right supply of main and trace elements to a plant, i.e. in the required quantities and in proportion to each other, makes it possible for a plant to grow healthily.

  It is known from fertilization theory that manganese and zinc are essential for a plant. And we can immediately see this in practice. A plant not only uses these trace elements to build up its resistance to insects, for example, but also to remain healthy and vital.

• Silicon (orthosilicic acid)

  Silicon (Si) strengthens the cell walls and epidermis of the leaf.

  
  

  In addition, Si ensures a better distribution of Ca and Mn throughout the plant and helps to reduce drought stress. It promotes photosynthesis and has visible effects on flower colour, leaf position and rooting, directly affecting the quality of your crop.

  Silicon dioxide (SiO₂), the most common silicon compound in nature, cannot be absorbed by a crop. Silicic acid (H₄SiO₄) is formed at the interface between this SiO₂ and water. Only this silica can be absorbed by a plant.

  With 3% of this orthosilic acid, our silicon fertiliser SilicaPower has a high concentration of Si, which is easily absorbed by the plant.

  In the following 3 articles you can read about the element Si, its role in increasing plant resilience and concrete results from practice when administering this element.

  Silicon (orthosilic acid) is the main component of our product SilicaPower.
  In addition, we have incorporated it in our products ArgicinPlus and Nutricin, because it makes cell walls firmer and thus increases plant resilience.

• 97% Lime

  With very little of our specific form of lime (Ca(OH)₂), you can already increase the Ca content in your crop. 

  
  

  Our Ds-Lime contains a high percentage of Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂). This makes it a special product because the Ca content in your crop and fruit is already increased with very little of this specific form of lime.

  This makes your crop firmer, harder and more robust.

  And thanks to the improved Ca-intake, your crop can easily build up this stock of this element in the fruits. As a result, they can be stored better and longer.

  97% Lime is the main component of Ds-Lime.

• Amino acids

  Amino acids act as building blocks. They help to grow a stronger, more energetic crop. This is achieved through improved root development, increased stress resistance, and positive effects on the energy balance.

  
  

  Amino acids stimulate plant physiological functions, such as germination, flowering, pollination, fruit setting and fruit development.

  Under optimal growing conditions plants produce their own amino acids, but under stressful conditions they limit the production of amino acids and even break down structural proteins in order to have the required amino acids available. If a plant is then offered 'ready-made' amino acids, it can save energy and still grow healthier, stronger and more resilient.

  Good absorbable amino acids therefore help the plant to keep its energy management efficient. The plants then have to produce fewer amino acids themselves, save energy and can become and remain stronger. They grow better and their resistance to abiotic stress (such as drought stress) increases.

  In addition, amino acids are natural building blocks of essential plant proteins.

  Finally, they promote root development and contribute to a healthier root system and thus a healthy, strong, stress-resistant crop that is able to use its energy efficiently.

  We have analysed the most important amino acids and added them to our product Nutricin. We work with a mix of 20 types of so-called L-amino acids. These amino acids are of vegetable origin.

What are biostimulants?

Biostimulants are natural substances that play a crucial role in supporting plant growth and resilience. One of their primary functions is to improve interaction with the soil. They do this in various ways:

1. Stimulating microbial activity: biostimulants foster the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the soil. These microbes help to break down organic matter and make nutrients available to plants.
2. Improving soil structure: some biostimulants help improve soil structure, enhancing aeration and water permeability, which are essential for healthy root development.
3. Strengthening the rhizosphere: biostimulants have a positive effect on the rhizosphere, the area around the roots where the symbiosis between the plant and soil occurs. Biostimulants stimulate root growth and improve water and nutrient uptake, increasing tolerance to abiotic stress factors, such as drought and extreme temperature fluctuations.
4. Increasing nutrient availability: by improving soil health, biostimulants increase the availability of nutrients to plants. This helps the plant to utilise fertilisers more efficiently, and reduces the risk of nutrient deficiencies.
5. Stimulating the plant’s self-healing capacity: biostimulants can also contribute to strengthening the natural resistance of plants, giving them a higher tolerance to abiotic stress.

 

In summary, biostimulants improve interaction with the soil by promoting microbial activity, optimising soil structure and enhancing nutrient availability. As a result, plants experience healthier growth, increased resilience and higher quality production: fruit and vegetables are more substantial and, for example, store better.

Types of biostimulants

There are two main categories of biostimulants:

• Microbial biostimulants

Examples include: fungi, bacteria, Mycorrhiza and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (such as Rhizobium spp. and Azospirillum spp.).

• Non-microbial biostimulants

Examples include: fulvic acids, plant extracts, biopolymers and inorganic compounds, such as purified humic acids and amino acids.

NB: products aimed at combating biotic stress, such as pests and diseases, are not covered by this definition and are classified as plant protection products.

 

What is the difference between biostimulants, fertilisers and plant protection products?

• Plant protection products are designed to combat biotic stress by directly targeting pests and diseases.
• Fertilisers focus on providing the plants with nutrients.
• Biostimulants aim to enhance plant resilience and improve the rhizosphere and both the qualitative and quantitative characteristics.

 

Role of biostimulants in an Integrated Crop Management strategy

An Integrated Crop Management strategy focuses on optimising crop growth in a sustainable manner. This approach combines various cultivation techniques and practices to enhance efficiency and resilience in cultivation, improve crop quality and minimise the environmental impact.

Within this strategy there is a focus on preserving and improving soil quality through crop rotation and the use of natural fertilisation and biostimulants. To manage pathogens and weeds, natural enemies and biological methods are utilised to control pests and weeds, reducing reliance on chemical pesticides.

Adopting an Integrated Crop Management strategy increases plant resilience, making them stronger and more able to withstand potential stress factors. This approach also reduces dependence on chemical agents and fertilisers, which is better for human health, nature and the environment. With improved crop yield, growers can achieve higher operating results.

Legislation on biostimulants: registration and definition of a biostimulant

Biostimulants can be registered under European fertiliser legislation, as outlined in the EU Fertilising Products Regulation EC 2019/1009. Biostimulants can also be registered in various countries, in accordance with the applicable national regulations.

The Dutch Fertiliser Act (Nederlandse Meststoffenwet) does not include specific provisions for biostimulants, allowing these products to be sold in the Netherlands without prior assessment.

CE registration of biostimulants

To provide buyers and users with assurance about the effectiveness of a biostimulant, CE registration has been possible since 2022. This registration allows a biostimulant to be sold in all EU member states.

For CE registration, a biostimulant does undergo thorough assessment by a ‘notified body’ (in the Netherlands, this is an accredited control authority recognised by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)).

Manufacturers of biostimulants can have these assessed for three crop groups standardised by the CEN:

• Arable crops (including grains, beets and potatoes)
• Woody crops (including raspberry, pear and apple)
• Herbaceous crops (including cabbage, chicory, leeks and strawberries)

 

Definition of a biostimulant according to the EU Fertilising Products Regulation EC 2019/1009

According to this regulation, a biostimulant is defined as follows:

• Biostimulants stimulate the nutritional processes of plants, regardless of the nutrient content of the biostimulant
• Biostimulants enhance the characteristics and/or rhizosphere of the plant, in terms of:
  • Nutrient use efficiency
  • Tolerance to abiotic stress (such as drought or extreme temperatures)
  • Quality characteristics (such as improved colour and extended shelf life)
  • Availability of nutrients retained in the soil or rhizosphere

 

Biostimulants from PlantoSys

PlantoSys currently offers three effective biostimulants: Nutricin, SalicylPure and SilicaPower. SalicylPure, derived from willow bark extract, enhances the self-healing capacity and vitality of plants, making them more resilient and healthier. SilicaPower, which contains silicon which is easily absorbed by the plant, strengthens cells walls and helps reduce drought stress in crops. SalicylPure and SilicaPower have CE marking following positive assessments of eight comprehensive studies conducted by the notified body, guaranteeing their effectiveness and safety.

Tip: take a look at our infographic on biostimulants

In it, you will find an easy-to-read summary of all the important information on biostimulants. Would you like to receive a printed version of this infographic? If so, please send an email to Annelies with your company name and address details.

PlantoSys infographic 'What are biostimulants?'