1+1=3
No, I’m not bad at math.
When it comes to biologicals, we’re finding that combining them can amplify the effects of both.
Beauveria bassiana is a naturally occurring endophytic fungus first known for controlling darkling beetles in poultry barns. JABB of the Carolinas was founded by my uncle, Jim Arends, a professor emeritus at North Carolina State University in the Department of Entomology and Veterinary School, to offer this as a commercial product.
Over time, researchers discovered it also works inside plants, colonizing roots, stems, and leaves, where it boosts growth, improves stress tolerance, and helps crops defend themselves against pests and diseases. After a shareholder tried it on his organic wheat fields with great success, we reformulated for crop use, and current sales show it will protect over 1.5 million acres of cropland in the upcoming growing season.
Everyone is trying to get the most bang for their buck in a market where input costs are rising and crop prices are sliding. B. bassianaon its own delivers strong returns, reducing the need for other inputs, but when it’s combined with other biologicals, something remarkable happens. There’s synergy, and the results outpace what would be expected from either product alone.
I like to compare it to a highway system. Think of a Bacillus blend as a local road network. This typically resides in the rhizosphere, close to the roots, keeping traffic (nutrients) moving efficiently where the road system starts. It smooths the flow, reduces congestion, and ensures resources reach the root surface where they can be absorbed and put to work by the plant.
B. bassiana, on the other hand, is the high-speed freeway. It moves through the plant from root to leaf keeping everything connected, allowing nutrients and signals to move faster and more efficiently.
On their own, both systems function well. But when we combine them, it’s like building on-ramps in all the right places, connecting local roads directly to the freeway. Suddenly, there are no stop signs or bottlenecks, just smooth, continuous movement. Nutrients, signals and defenses travel seamlessly through the plant, and performance accelerates.
The same applies when we add Trichoderma or mycorrhizae into the mix. Each biological works in its own zone. One might free up phosphorus, another transports it, and yet another chelates iron. Alone, each has value. Together, they create an optimized transport network where everything moves more efficiently, and nothing gets stuck at the intersection. That’s when 1+1 really equals 3.
Our EndoShield ST formulation is designed for seed treatment, and can be combined with other biologicals, opening the door for these synergistic applications.
Over the past two years we have been trialing a combination of B. bassiana with another biological. Results aren’t finalized, so I can’t give all the details yet, but I can tell you that with just B. bassiana we saw a 6% yield increase and the other biological had a 4% yield increase. However, when combined, we saw a 12% yield increase, along with improved germination and plant vigor.
With increased yields, vigour, and stress tolerance this approach offers a more efficient and sustainable way to manage crops, especially in seasons when every dollar counts. It’s exciting to see these results in the field, knowing we can help growers achieve greater ROI.
We’re only scratching the surface of what these pairings can do. Every new combination tested, whether in row crop, cereals, or specialty crops, can teach us something about how these living systems communicate. Nature is complex, but when we connect the right pieces, they don’t compete, they cooperate.
That’s the power of biological synergy. It’s not about replacing conventional tools overnight. It’s about enhancing what we already have. B. bassiana opened the door by showing what a single microbe can achieve inside the plant. Now, by building on-ramps between biologicals, we’re discovering a whole new level of performance. This is proof that in the right conditions, 1 + 1 really can equal 3.
