Proactive agronomy helps protect yield before crop stress hits
As environmental and biological pressures intensify, agronomists are shifting strategies to prepare crops for stress before it impacts performance
- Yield losses often begin with early-season crop stress.
- Activating plant defense pathways can improve resilience before problems surface.
- Agricultural biologicals are gaining attention as part of preventative programs.
- Early applications may deliver the strongest yield response.
DENVER, Colorado (April 1, 2026) — Across U.S. agriculture, crop management is shifting from reacting to stress after its signs appear, to preparing plants for stress before it ever shows. As weather volatility, disease pressure and other crop stressors intensify, agronomists are increasingly focused on activating plant defenses from the start to help safeguard yield potential.
“Yield is the number one thing growers are paid for,” says Nathan Burson, Branded Products Territory Manager for Wilbur-Ellis. “At any point, if water, nutrition or temperature stress get out of balance, you’re losing big chunks of potential yield .”
That reality is driving a broader shift in crop management, one that emphasizes preparing plants for inevitable stress rather than reacting after damage has occurred.
From reactive crop management to proactive
Environmental stress is a given during every growing season. Heat, drought, pest pressure and disease are consistent threats to varying degrees across growing regions. Add tighter margins and cautious input spending, and growers are looking for tools that protect yield potential early.
“We don’t know what’s coming for that plant,” Burson explains. “As much as you can do to prepare it early for those types of stresses, it helps you.”
This preventative mindset is reshaping how agronomists approach crop stress management. Instead of reacting to visible stress, the focus is shifting toward helping plants withstand pressure before it impacts growth and yield.
Activate plant defense systems with agricultural biologicals
When stressful conditions put pressure on plants, their initial response happens primarily internally. Increasingly, agronomists are turning to biological plant health promoters like Employ® from Wilbur-Ellis that work with those natural processes to help crops better withstand stress.
“These products aren’t acting like traditional pesticides or nutrients,” Burson explains. “They’re actually triggering responses at a genetic and cellular level. We’re affecting the jasmonic pathway and the salicylic pathway, the plant’s major defense mechanisms.
“As humans, if we’re cold, we can put on a jacket. If we’re hot, we can move into the shade. Plants can’t do these things, so they’ve developed cellular responses to help deal with stresses that occur during the growing season.”
Rather than controlling a specific pest or supplying nutrients directly, agricultural biologicals signal the plant to activate its own protective systems.
Yield response over visual response
One challenge with biological tools is that they don’t always create dramatic visual differences in the field. But field trials and practical experience tell a clearer story.
“We don’t always see a huge visual difference,” Burson notes. “But at the end of the day, growers are not paid on visual. They’re paid on yield.”
Trials involving the biological plant health promoter Employ have shown consistent yield benefits across multiple crops. In replicated field trials comparing Employ to untreated acres, soybeans showed yield increases of 11% or 4.3 bu/A, corn delivered an average yield increase of 5% and cotton demonstrated an average improvement of 68 lbs/A.1–3 Tree and vine crops treated with Employ saw improved photosynthesis, leading to increased sugar production, larger fruit, enhanced coloring and uniform ripening.
Layer agricultural biologicals with existing programs
Preventative approaches are not intended to replace conventional chemistry. Instead, they’re designed to complement existing programs and enhance overall performance.
Field trials demonstrate how this approach can work alongside fungicide applications. In a Texas corn trial, adding Employ to standard fungicide programs increased yields by an average of 15% (24 bu/A) over untreated crops and 6% (9.7 bu/A) over fungicide-only tank mixes.2
These results highlight the additive effect of combining agricultural biologicals with traditional chemistry, supporting the plant’s internal defense responses while maintaining disease control.
As growers fine-tune input budgets in a tighter economy, Burson says products that consistently demonstrate yield protection deserve consideration.
“Growers are investing in their crops from the moment the seed goes in the ground,” he says. “The challenge is protecting that investment and giving the plant what it needs to make it to harvest. This is one way to help make that happen.”
As agronomy continues to evolve, proactive approaches that strengthen a plant’s natural defenses may become an increasingly important part of protecting yield potential well before visible crop stress appears.
For more information on crop management or to discuss proactive plant health strategies, contact your local Wilbur-Ellis agronomist or visit www.wilburellisag.com. In California, Employ is only labeled for nematode suppression.
References
- Wilbur-Ellis data on file. Available at: https://www.wilburellisagribusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SSL-Employ-Soybeans_K-279864.pdf
- Wilbur-Ellis data on file. Available at: https://www.wilburellisagribusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/SSL-Employ-Corn.pdf
- Wilbur-Ellis data on file. Available at: https://www.wilburellisagribusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/SSL-Employ-Cotton.pdf