Longtime industry veteran Ray Shirley, the founder and chairman of Applied Chemical Technologies (ACT), Florence, Ala., has announced the discovery of a new technology that he said is a significant breakthrough in the early life cycle of plants and crops by acting as a growth enhancer.
Shirley said test results indicate that the combination of nutrients, some presently not recognized by the fertilizer world, lead to early and sustained plant and root growth. He said through four years of testing with rice, the technologies demonstrated sustained growth that resulted in extended plant life (up to two weeks), increased yields of more than 50 percent, and increased grain protein levels of more than 12 percent. He said the yield increases do not require application of elevated levels of traditional fertilizer since the technologies improve the efficiency of the fertilizers used.
Shirley said the technologies also impact corn, wheat, and cotton, as well as other crops. He said the growth enhancing components are low cost, nontoxic, biodegradable, and readily available in large supply worldwide.
Shirley has formed a new company, Innovations for World Nutrition (IFWN), Florence, to focus on the development and commercialization of the technology. IFWN is currently seeking strategic partners. For more information, see IFWNglobal.com.
Shirley, who has a nearly 60-year career in the fertilizer development business, got his start at Monsanto and spent 15 years at TVA’s National Fertilizer Development Center (NFDC) before starting ACT in 1981. While Shirley remains involved with ACT, which has been known for its development and commercialization of slow-release fertilizers, he will now shift his main focus to IFWN and this new discovery.