As we head into bloom for many of our perennials, it’s important to do all that we can to ensure pollen tube germination and hormone transport. Let’s look at flavonoids.
In plants, flavonoids are secondary metabolites that act as pigments but also play important roles in many biological processes, including seed development and growth, fruit growth and ripening, and, to our point here, pollen tube germination and hormone transport.
But there’s more. We’ve also discovered that flavonoids contribute significantly to higher brix in the leaf – more than double. Why is this important? To start, it’s a major indicator that you’re maximizing photosynthesis and soluble solids contributing to plant health and nutrition. It contributes to frost tolerance, as sugars have a lower freezing point. Meanwhile, as photosynthesis increases, there is more glucose to feed the soil microbes that provide plant-available nutrition and CO2 in return. Flavonoids also function as chemical messengers in association with mycorrhizae and bacteria; their function is signaling in response to pathogens, bacteria or fungi. Finally, insects don’t feed on high-brix leaves and fungi can’t grow on high-brix leaves!
Here’s a word for you: “allelopathy.” It is defined as the direct or indirect effect of secondary compounds (“allelochemicals”) produced by a donor plant on a recipient plant. This type of relationship can be beneficial or harmful. Interestingly enough, allelopathy is being considered as a possible solution to multiple problems in agriculture, i.e. for the natural control of weeds and insect pests and to reduce stress and diseases. Flavonoids help to generate allelochemicals that can have herbicidal, fungicidal, insecticidal and nematicidal properties.
Flavonoids’ role in the rhizosphere is important in agriculture because flavonoid interaction in the symbiosis with microorganisms can be a tool for nitrogen fixation in soils poor in macronutrients. It can also be a contributing strategy to stimulate beneficial bacteria or inhibit harmful bacteria and fungi.
Flavonoids are compounds with different responses to biotic and abiotic factors, which can benefit agriculture as attractants for pollinators, as pigment to flowers and fruits, with allelochemical functions, in symbiosis with beneficial organisms, and as pest control. Not a bad product to have in your toolbox.
Our flavonoid product, CropBioLife, is produced from the rind of bitter oranges. It’s a highly concentrated liquid. With applications of only 4 ounces per acre, it’s easy to apply with any of your foliar sprays.