McGregor Gourlay partners with Metagen on biological services for cotton

Soil biology testing, biological products and agronomy advice, starting with irrigated cotton.

McGregor Gourlay has signed an agency agreement with Australian soil health company Metagen.

The agreement brings Metagen’s biological management programs to McGregor Gourlay growers. That covers product distribution, soil health services and agronomic advice. It starts with irrigated cotton and will extend over time to dryland cotton, broadacre, tree crops, sugarcane and pasture.

McGregor Gourlay works across some 50,000 hectares of irrigated cotton, from North West NSW to the Southern QLD Border Rivers and Darling Downs.

McGregor Gourlay group senior agronomist Scott Rogers said the focus is on the soilborne diseases that are hardest to manage in cotton, including Verticillium wilt.

“Together we’ll provide growers with quality information to give them a good indication of what solutions work best for their disease or soil health challenges throughout their crop cycles, from planning to picking,” he said.

Scott said Verticillium wilt is present in all regions to varying degrees.

“Metagen biostimulant Digestor is one of very few products available to growers that lessen the severity of Verticillium wilt.”

The agreement also gives McGregor Gourlay access to Metagen’s lab services, “so we can focus our efforts on tackling diseases and providing local data that backs up trials conducted in our regions.”

Metagen territory manager David McGrath said soilborne disease can materially affect a grower’s productive capacity in long-term irrigated cotton.

“McGregor Gourlay understands the underlying challenge and is being proactive in connecting its clients with solutions through Metagen’s laboratory services and products such as Digestor NP and Lipoguard,” he said.

Metagen is an Australian-owned biotechnology company. It makes its own biological products and runs its own laboratory, using DNA testing to identify soil microbes.

Irrigated cotton growers who want to know more can talk to their local McGregor Gourlay agronomist.