Pathway | 111 E. Tever St., Plant City, FL 33563 • 813.719.7284

PRESCRIPTION MICROBIOLOGY

A Guide to Understanding

Pathway Science

INTRODUCTION

First of all, welcome from the PATHWAY BIOLOGIC team. We are a biological laboratory

located in Plant City, Florida. We have four labs, fermentation facility, and a staff lead by two PhDs

as well as the latest cutting edge instruments and equipment. We isolate, culture, and produce

pure strains of all our beneficial microbes. Our fermentation process is completely sterile and

contamination free, to insure quality control. We don’t alter bacteria and we don’t buy them

sideways from clearing houses. If it says PATHWAY BIOLOGIC, you can rest assured that it came

from our Plant City facility. We look forward to working with you in expanding your knowledge in

this rapidly advancing - exciting new - timeless field. And, consider this as an open invitation to

visit our facility. You’re just a phone call or e-mail away from a great learning experience.

In-House Laboratory

State-of-the-Art Laboratory

Reading this guide can also be a learning experience for you. It

will be no different than trying to learn a few different types of

shots around the green, or trying to learn how to use 4 or 5

different types of fishing lures. It just takes time and a little

study. If you spent 10 minutes each day working on each type of

shot around a green, or if you spent 10 minutes each day

pitching each lure, within two weeks, your handicap would

probably drop 2 to 4 shots and you’d be catching more fish. You

would have become proficient. Understanding PATHWAY is no

different. We don’t have a sack of golf clubs to learn to hit; we

don’t have a tackle box full of lures to pitch. We just have a

handful of products to learn to use.

Using PATHWAY will be extremely rewarding. PATHWAY will help

you become a fountain of agronomic knowledge. Using PATHWAY will increase your knowledge of

microbiology, and this knowledge will help you become a better manager and steward of the planet.

When clients call you for information about biologics, you will be their source. You will have

increased credibility and trust. This is important because, as you well know, the industry is

moving back to biological solutions.

After WWII, turf and ornamental management

started losing simplicity and practicality. It started to become

more complex and expensive. More people were playing

golf and enjoying outdoor activities. There was a boom in

golf course construction along with the communities

surrounding them. Players expected better playing

conditions, homeowners demanded perfection in their

landscape. The bar was going up. With this came an

increase in global food production and the fertilizer and

pesticides needed to increase food production. The

chemistry for all this agriculture dripped into T&O and we, as

superintendents and landscape managers, began to get

hooked on the lure of this chemistry. We became

chemophiles and started to tip the balance of nature.

The rest is history.

PRESCRIPTION MICROBIOLOGY

Our concept is Prescription Microbiology. Prescription Microbiology focuses on soil

and plant health. It’s an easy story for us to tell if we start with turf installation or new plantings.

Just prior to planting an area is prepped, disturbing the soil and/or adding to it material that is

trucked in from off-site. And if adding a fumigant, designed to destroy any life-form present, you

eliminate any indigenous microbial life. Therefore, it’s safe to say that there is either 1) no

indigenous microbial populations present, or 2) what microbial flora is there is unbalanced. The

microbial content the area does receive rode into town in the back of a truck out of some seed

field, sprig farm, sod farm, or nursery from Elsewhere, USA. So, whichever microbial populations

that do colonize are strictly ‘by chance’. You have no idea what they are, what they do, or when

they do what they do. However, if you applied or rinsed a known or prescribed mix (consortium) of

beneficial bacteria, also referred to as PGPR, (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria), fungi, and

their active ingredients, into the root zone or rhizosphere, the colonization or microbial profile would

reflect the speciation of the prescribed consortium. This is the concept of Prescription

Microbiology; managing and enhancing the beneficial microbial content (bacteria, fungi, and their

constituents) of your soil.

Disease outbreaks will peak and valley. Pathogens are opportunistic organisms and the

population and activity increases with conditions favorable to the organism. The fact that

pathogenic activity at times is below a visible threshold tells us that some checks and balances are

probably taking place between outbreaks. Degrees of severity can vary under similar conditions

within the same area. Something keeps the pathogen in check between peaks. Microbial balance

is a big part of this something. When the ratio of beneficial PGPR and fungi to pathogenic micro-

organisms is out of balance, a fungicide program takes shape. This program can become complex

and expensive if the out-of-balance ratio continues. One factor that exacerbates imbalances is the

over-use of fungicides.

Back in the mid-1970’s, a broad spectrum fungicide, Benomyl, sold as Benlate, became

available. It was the first systemic, as we knew them then, and it was very effective against dollar

spot and brown patch, providing up to three weeks control. It seemed to control everything. In the

bent/poa belt normal fungicide protocol was weekly, so Benomyl was a real time and labor saver.

Recommendations were to apply bi-weekly with a contact as an alternative. Not everybody did

this. Some abused the product by using it for longer periods of time, excluding the contact as the

alternative. End result . . . a dollar spot resistant to the compound. A more viral pathogen . . . a

dollar spot resistant to Benomyl had emerged as the sole survivor of the applications. It was ugly,

working all the way down to the dirt. We had created a microbial imbalance, tipping the micro-

environment to favor this, up to then, non-virulent pathogen. We had eliminated the microbial

competition, we had removed the checks and balances, and then we paid for it.

These imbalances are probably fairly common; we just may not recognize them. But if you

have an area of a turf or landscape, or periodically discover some unexplained pattern of a disease

outbreak, possibly following weather or a maintenance input, you are likely seeing the result of a

microbial imbalance.

What is it we do as humans every

fall as recommended by todays physicians. . .

get a flu shot! This doesn’t guarantee you will not get sick, but it does help prime the body’s

immune system incase of an illness. But when a person does fall ill, they do one of two things.

First is to take over the counter drugs (antibiotics). If that doesn’t work they go to a doctor. In most

cases the prognosis requires a prescribed drug (strong antibiotics). During and following an illness

a person attempts to load the body with vitamins and probiotics, think orange juice and yogurt

(beneficial bacteria), aimed at restoring and balancing the microbial flora in your gut to build up the

immune system and speed up recovery time. In most cases an unbalance in a persons core

(improper diet) and stress lead to an illness. Proper diet, fluid intake, and probiotics will mitigate

the intensity and duration of any common disease a person contracts from a pathogen they might

come in contact with, saving costly doctor visits and headaches which lead to more stress. And all

because the core of your body is stronger and healthier. PATHWAY’S Prescription Microbiology

works in the same fashion by restoring and balancing the microbial flora in the soil, the core of a

plant. Think of the soil as an exo-gut. With the proper fertility (diet), water management (fluid

intake), and prescription probiotics (beneficial bacteria), any stress that the plant encounters will

be lessened. What antibiotics the plant needs to overcome this stress will be minimized and will

last longer. Recognizing that the microbial fraction of your soil can be unbalanced and out

of your control, why wouldn’t you become pro-active and spec a consortium of prescribed

beneficial bacteria, fungi, enzymes, and metabolites in order to better manage your

‘microscopic herd’, so to speak?

WHY IS PRESCRIPTION MICROBIOLOGY A LOGICAL APPROACH?

Prescription Microbiology allows

you to spec probably the most important

component of your turf and landscape.

More than likely, you spec your fertilizer

program, you spec your irrigation, you spec

your labor budget . . . you see where I’m

going with this? Doesn’t it make sense to

spec your microbiology if you can?

Microbial Resources

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

There are many benefits provided by

PATHWAY’s Prescription Microbiology and here are

three very important ones … RISK MANAGEMENT -

PREDICTABILITY - CONSISTENCY. By supplying

the soil with regularly scheduled inoculations of

beneficial microbes, the risk of imbalance is lessened,

the results of any inputs become more predictable and

the over-all product, the vitality of the landscape

venue, becomes more consistent. The beneficial

microbial balance improves plant vigor and health.

Microbial Solutions

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?

There are a number of ways that beneficial microbes accomplish tasks within their

designated roles in the micro-environment. But simply put, microbes accomplish tasks through the

secretion of enzymes and production of metabolites, or microbial active ingredients. There are any

numbers of enzymes that specific microbes utilize in breaking down a substrate as an energy

source. Some microbes are more enzymatic than others. For example, the enzyme chitinase

breaks down chitin, a component of the hide of a nematode and pathogenic fungi. Not all microbes

produce chitinase. Some break down proteins by secreting proteases, some use lipases to break

down fats.

A second way microbes alter the prey/predator relationship is their ability to produce

metabolites. Metabolites have two functions within our consortia. 1) They act as an immediate

catalyst, or steroid for the microbes at time of application, and 2) Provide a long term benefit by

creating a more favorable environment for microbes helping to extend active ingredient production.

Metabolites also provide ISR (Induced Systemic Resistance) elicitors that activate the plants

natural defense mechanisms to biotic and abiotic stress.

There is nothing that occurs naturally in the soil that isn’t broken down by microbes,

including the minerals calcium and phosphorous. So the strategy in utilizing this new technology

(our Prescription Microbiology) is to create a sustainable threshold of enzymatic activity and

metabolite concentrations in the rhizosphere that help maintain the fluctuating population

imbalances that lead to a reduction in nutrient uptake, poor soil structure, and pathogen growth.

Attacks on plants may still occur but the intensity and duration will be significantly reduced.

Regularly scheduled applications of beneficials sustain this active ingredient threshold, providing

an optimal environment for plant growth and vigor.

FIVE KEY COMPONENTS TO

PATHWAY’’S SCIENCE

There are five fundamental elements that separate

PATHWAY from other companies and strategies:

1). BIO-DIVERSITY

2). MULTIPLE MODES OF ACTION

3). BIO-SEQUENCING

4). ENUMERATION

5). DENSITY

Poly-microbial Science

WHY IS IT CALLED BIO-DIVERSITY?

Whereas most other biological products incorporate a single strain, a

handful of strains, or are compost based, PATHWAY incorporates

multiple genera and strains of PGPR, enzymes, and metabolites. We

refer to this as BIO-DIVERSITY, and it is a very important concept. We

emphasize strains because, for example, not every Bacillus subtilis is the

same. There are countless strains of B. subtilis, all different DNA. So a

B. subtilis from company A may not be the same DNA as from company

B. They may not perform the same roles in the environment because of

this genetic difference. You can rest assured that PATHWAY strains are

pure culture . . . every time!

Multiple genera provide a broad DNA base and broad potential;

extremely important due to the many different variations in growing

conditions occurring daily, weekly and seasonally. Because of this

broad genetic base, BIO-DIVERSITY, there is a wide active

ingredient base providing multiple modes of action allowing for

constant multi-tasking. This is our biological version of the famed

Swiss Army Knife.

WHY MULTIPLE MODES OF ACTION?

By design, due to the extremely broad genetic base of our BIO-

DIVERSITY, PATHWAY has multiple strains and active ingredients for

each task. This results in multiple modes of action. Think of this concept

as having back-ups for every task. Some microbes have very narrow

ranges of optimum activity, so PATHWAY provides enough diversity to

bridge the many variable conditions in which these microbes work.

PATHWAY gives you a plan A, a plan B, a plan C, and so on. Another

word for this is…..insurance.

WHY IS IT CALLED BIO-SEQUENCING?

BIO-SEQUENCING is the operative word here because of the

many biological reactions requiring enzymes and metabolites produced

by specific microbes in the rhizosphere. Each strain in our consortia

work more efficiently in concert with each other versus alone. BIO-

SEQUENCING is the difference between complete and incomplete.

A breakdown in the sequence can lead to an incomplete reaction.

PATHWAY’s consortia aren’t just a grab bag of bugs. We don’t just sack

up a bunch of bugs and call it science. We don’t just combine a number

of unconnected beneficial species and strains and claim a product has

been enhanced with beneficials. Instead, every one of PATHWAY’s

beneficial microbes has been agar plated and screened for compatibility.

If a microbe can’t work with the rest of the team, it isn’t on the team.

This is an essential and important part of the science. Without BIO-

SQUENCING, microbes go on strike due to a work stoppage and they

eventually die.

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Enumeration

Verification &

Absence of

Pathogens QA

QC

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Consortia

Fingerprint

Identity

QA

QC

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Fermentation Vessels

QA

QC

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“Who They Are”

Response to Media

QA

QC

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16s rdna Segments

Automated

Plate Output

WHAT ARE ENUMERATION AND DENSITY?

Two more elements that are responsible for the success of PATHWAY’s consortia are

ENUMERATION and DENSITY. ENUMERATION is listed with CFUs, or Colony Forming Units.

This is the number behind the listed species, usually given in the power of 10, and listed as CFUs

per gram or ml. For example, if a label states B. subtilis …..3x10 to the 8th….that means that 1

gram of product contains 300,000,000 B. subtilis. DENSITY is the actual number of CFUs, per

unit area, when applied to a surface. Visualize it as an application rate per unit of surface area or

volume of soil media. When you are comparing products, or trying to determine the density of a

product, compare the exponents and zeros. ENUMERATION and DENSITY are as important as

having the correct genera, species, and strains.

Production Scalability

& Quality Control

In most cases, PATHWAY’s consortia

are applied to hostile environments.

Therefore, it’s extremely important to

show up in numbers equal to the task

at hand. Big numbers are extremely

important. Being short-handed

probably leads to as many failures in

maintaining biological activity as there

are failures due to having the wrong

strains. Custer is a prime example of

being short-handed . . . a poor

business plan with a faulty exit clause.

Strain Identification &

Formulation Precision

WHAT IS PATHWAY’s IMPACT ON

THE PLANT?

The ways by which PATHWAY’s PGPR (Plant

Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) provide

beneficial effects for the plant are classified in

two different groups.

Direct Mechanisms are those in which

microbes increase plant growth by solubilizing

minerals and producing plant growth regulators.

Indirect mechanisms relate to plant growth

promotion as a result of decreasing deleterious

effects of plant pathogens and other stress

related factors.

DIRECT MECHANISMS

NUTRIENT CYCLING AND SOLUBILITY

Your fertility programs will benefit, as many of the species in PATHWAY’s consortium

solubilize, sequester and transport nutrients. We utilize many strains of Bacillus and Brevibacillus

that serve as miners and mules, breaking down organic compounds and ferrying them into the

plant. The production of phosphatase solubilizes P making it plant available. Siderophore

production naturally chelates Fe. Leaching is minimized by the sequestration of nutrients like N and

K. Volatilization is minimized as ammonia gas is converted to ammonium and held on the soil

colloid. Sources of urea are made more efficient. Without microbial help, 75% of urea can be lost

to the atmosphere in 24 hours. Many strains are nitrogen fixers.

Remember this: The digestive tract for plants is outside . . . in the dirt. Call it an exo-gut.

Microbes eat first, then the plant eats. Microbes convert nutrients to a plant-usable form.

PRODUCTION OF PHYTOHORMONES

Phytohormones are defined as chemicals that regulate plant growth. The production of

these hormones by beneficial bacteria in PATHWAY’s consortia increase the plants capacity to

produce more root hairs and root tips allowing the plant to uptake and utilize nutrients and water

more efficiently. Cytokinins stimulate shoot and bud formation. Auxins stimulate cell elongation

and root initiation. Gibberellins stimulate enzyme production.

Microbes produce all of these plant hormones naturally but not always in sufficient amounts

to benefit the host plant. This happens under periods of high stress or when there is a microbial

unbalance in the soil. However, inoculating the soil with a prescribed beneficial consortia on a

regular basis will ensure balanced concentrations of these hormones providing a more stress

tolerant plant.

INDIRECT MECHANISMS

DISEASE SUPPRESSION

PATHWAY has many anti-fungal strains in their

consortium, but PATHWAY is not a fungicide and can’t be

construed to be a fungicide. PATHWAY doesn’t kill

anything, PATHWAY doesn’t control anything. But a

PATHWAY consortium can suppress fungal populations

five ways: 1) By competing for habitat space. 2) By

competing for nutrients. 3) By enzymatic predation.

4) By antibiosis. 5) By inducing host plant resistance.

Anti-fungal bacteria and anti-fungal fungi, especially the Trichoderma genera, actually attack

pathogenic fungi. Specific enzymes and metabolites produced by strains in PATHWAY’’s consortia

suppress pathogens naturally. The net result is that pathogenic blooms or disease outbreaks are

minimized in both intensity and duration, making your fungicide applications more effective.

As you well know, during the heat of the summer and during periods of high humidity,

prolonged rainfall, or drought, a plant can suffer complete root dysfunction. Soil temperatures in

the root zone can become so high that root growth ceases and the plant is put on life support.

Suppression of Pathogenic Fungi

So what really happens to a stressing plant? Does the plant suffer from just a single

malady, like rhizoc or phytophthora, or is it a combination of variables? Is it just too hot due to sun

orientation? Obviously it’s a combination of variables. If the plant had a proper functioning root

system, with ample oxygen in the rhizosphere, it wouldn’t have stressed. If it didn’t stress, an

attack by a pathogen would have done far less damage. If the plant had a proper root system, the

heat of the day wouldn’t have caused it to stress, allowing more heat to do more damage. You can

call it water management, and to a certain degree it is water management. Proper water

management allows the beneficial microbes to remain active, and that’s what gives the plant the

vigor to withstand periodic stresses. So, along with proper water management, it really goes back

to BALANCED MICROBIAL POPULATIONS.

You now have an option regarding your microbial population. You have a choice! You can

continue down the defensive path you’ve been on, reacting, fighting stress from disease outbreaks,

heat, and desiccation or you can change what you’re doing and get different results. If you keep

doing what you’ve been doing - you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting . . . same old -

same old. However, if you decide to rinse a consortium of prescribed beneficial bacteria and fungi

into your soil, on a regular basis, you’ll begin to colonize with the prescription species and strains

at the expense of the ‘by chance’ species. And, by feeding this prescription regularly with Root

Honey at the time of application, you will begin to balance your microbial population and ensure

plant health.

NEMATODE SUPPRESSION

Recently, a couple of biological nematode strategies have come to the Turf & Ornamental

industry. Pasteuria is one that we have seen. This is a single strain strategy that can be throttled

by the slightest change away from whatever the optimum conditions are for that particular microbe.

Another, Bacillus firmus, as a strategy does not offer good predictability. Single strains have no

back-up plan! If conditions in the micro-environment change,

whether from weather, inputs, or cultural practices,

nematode suppression from single strain strategies

can be interrupted. PATHWAY, on the other hand,

utilizes multiple strains of anti-nematodal

bacteria and enzymes. So as micro-

environmental changes do occur, suppression

can continue. We have been very successful

in suppressing ecto-parasitic nematode activity

to the point that there is little visual evidence of

nematode stress. This happens for a couple

reasons: 1) our consortia are anti-nematodal, by

design, and 2) we produce a much denser root

system, one that is equipped to handle the stress of

any nematodes which may be present.

It takes lead time to colonize for nematode suppression. We know that February to April,

depending on geography, is the time to start treatment in an effort to colonize ahead of the egg

hatches. Maintaining high densities of anti-nematodal microbes in the soil at the time of hatches is

very important. Like weeds, they’re easier to manage when young. The important point is to build

a sustainable colony and support it.

Root Colonizing Microbes

ORGANIC MATTER MANAGEMENT

Organic matter (OM) is a necessity for the health of soil microbes and the health of the

plant. This is the area where microbial populations thrive and where nutrients and moisture are

held. If left unchecked, an accumulation of excessive organic matter (thatch) can build up.

Excessive thatch fills the macro-pores of the soil mix, like cholesterol, and clogs these pores with

decaying OM. This clogging act alone destroys the macro-pores or air pores, converting them to

micro-pores or moisture pores. Once this occurs, water is held in these pores at the expense of

oxygen. This creates a wetter soil profile, slows internal perc, fosters fungal pathogens, favors

weeds and sedges, and promotes anaerobic growing conditions. It’s actually the low oxygen that

finally tips the plant over. However, by applying PATHWAY’s prescribed consortium, beneficial

bacteria will use this OM plug as a carbon source and open these pores. The result is improved

internal perc, more oxygen, fewer disease outbreaks and fewer weeds.

Excessive OM and hot wet weather is tough on plants during summer. High humidity, due

to wet weather, a higher-than-healthy percentage of OM, a reduction in macro-pore space and the

consequential lack of oxygen in the root zone, all contribute to plant stress by inhibiting

transpiration and gas exchange in the root zone. Roots become dysfunctional and the plant has no

way to cool itself. The net result is death by heat stress and suffocation.

In a landscape environment plants require healthy levels of organic matter to thrive. As

plant debris builds up under the canopy of the plant microbial digestion is required to breakdown

this organic matter. PATHWAY’s consortia facilitate this digestion; providing good soil tilth and

converting organic compounds back into plant usable nutrients.

WHICH PATHWAY SOLUTIONS SHOULD I CONSIDER?

Sooooo, which PATHWAY solutions should you consider as reliable tools within your

management protocol?

ROOT HONEY

Root Honey is our gunpowder. Whereas we think of the beneficial bacteria and fungi as

bullets, we think of Root Honey as the gunpowder that makes the whole thing go. To our

knowledge, there is no other product on the market with the total volume of

active ingredient as PATHWAY’s Root Honey. It’s pure energy for our

microbial consortia. Root Honey is nearly 53% active ingredient, with

20% being amino acids derived from fish hydrolysate, 20%

carbohydrates (maltodextrin and molasses), 5% high-grade fulvic

acid and 8% kelp extract, (4% from Ecklonia maxima and 4%

from Ascophyllum nodosum). Dollar for dollar, ounce for ounce

and square foot for square foot, you’ll not find any other product that

compares to Root Honey.

Of the roughly 160 dry weight ounces in a gallon of Root Honey, nearly 53% is active

ingredient. Compare this to anything out there….this product has far more active bio nutrient than

any of the others.

Just compare competitive products on a dry weight basis. Simply multiply the weight of a

gallon of product by 16 ounces to get the dry weight. Once you get the dry weight, just calculate

the ingredient percentages to find the actual number of ounces, per gallon of each ingredient. Now

you can easily figure the actual amount of active ingredient, for each ingredient, for the area

covered, usually per thousand square feet. This exercise will allow you to compare all liquid

products for actual amount of ingredient per gallon and cost per unit area.

Root Honey will maximize the activity of beneficial microbes in your soil. And Root

Honey is a tremendous chelating agent for micro-nutrients . . . laden with all natural chelating

agents from three different sources…fulvic acid, amino acids from fish oil and two species of kelp.

Fulvic acid is the highest grade of humic acid with a smaller molecule and, therefore, is an

excellent chelating agent. Also, fulvic acid is soluble at any pH. Root Honey is compatible with

most products but jar test just to make sure.

Root Honey was formulated by PATHWAY’s team of scientists for our consortia of

microbes. We felt there wasn’t anything on the market with enough active ingredients to

accelerate the colonization of our products. So, we designed and formulated our own. Again, no

other like it . . . Root Honey!

MERGE

Merge is the next generation of microbial

delivery for Turf and Ornamental use. It is the

flagship product series of PATHWAY's microbial

technology that combines proficient root colonizing

PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) with

specific microbial components (active ingredients).

Enzymes, Metabolites, and Bio-Surfactants are

harvested from beneficial strains in our profuse microbial library that perform key biological

reactions in the rhizosphere. We developed this prescribed formulation combining active

ingredients and beneficial PGPR together to provide a more efficient and stable product that

performs within a broader range of biotic and abiotic environments. Merge encompasses a

product line which offers numerous methods of deployment allowing the end user to prescribe a

PATHWAY protocol that fits their own fertility and maintenance practices.

Power Coat and Power Blend are formulated

to enhance dry or liquid primary and secondary nutrient

inputs. Enhancing fertilizer with Merge creates a

homogeneous bio-charged fertility input that maximizes

the efficiency and efficacy of nutrient uptake and

utilization. Power Coat can be sparged onto bulk dry

fertilizer on any SGN size. Power Blend can be blended

with bulk liquid fertility. For specifications on sparging

or blending contact your local Pathway distributor or

Pathway representative.

BioCharged Fertility

Enhancing Bulk Dry Fertilizer

Blending With Bulk Liquid

Fertilizer

POWER PAC

Power Pac is a soluble version of Merge designed for tank-mixing. We developed Power

Pac in an effort to provide more flexibility within spray programs allowing tank-mixing with

pesticides and lower GPA . This allows for inclusion with foliar applications that might be applied

at low volume carrier rates. The formulation of Power Pac also allows for tank-mixing with

fungicides unlike our previous products Manage and Restore.

Power Pac is a consortium of many species and strains of

beneficial, naturally occurring bacteria, enzymes, and metabolites all in

an 8 oz. spore pac. Simply cut and pour the spore pacs in the spray tank

and go. If using in the neighborhood of 80 gal/acre of water the spray

runs off the leaf into the crown. In the event you’re application rate is

lower, due to growth regulation or foliar nutrients, there may be some

slow down in overall microbial activity if too much of the consortium stays

on the leaf. However, these are spore -forming organisms. When

conditions become adverse, they simply go dormant in the spore form

until conditions change. Those that didn’t enter the plant will be washed

into the soil profile with the next irrigation cycle and their activity will be

resumed.

Soluble for Tank Mixing

Power Pac suppresses sting nematode and other ecto-parasitics, Fairy-Ring, selected

species of Rhizoctonia, Pythium, many other soil-active pathogens, and Sclerotinia dollar spot,

when left on the leaf. It also contains HALOPHILIC bacteria to help manage salts in the soil profile.

In previous PATHWAY product lines these halophytes were included in separate consortia. Merge

technology is an all encompassing consortium providing the benefits of Manage and Manage

Salts in our previous Soilize line. With water restrictions set by state and local governments

becoming more stringent (amount used and source), we felt that it is imperative to include

HALOPHILIC strains to help mitigate water quality issues.

POWER GRANULE

Power Granule provides an alternate deployment method. Power Granule

consists of an ecolite carrier packed full of spores. One option for Power

Granule is to apply monthly alternating with Power Pac depending on turf

or plant type. Applied dry with a fertilizer spreader, Power Granule is a

convenient way to provide the same speciation as Power Pac. Power

Granule can be applied when conditions are too wet to spray, when a

sprayer is undesirable, or when an area can’t be accessed with a sprayer.

Power Granule is also easily used in spot treatments.

Enhanced Granular for use as

a Soil Inoculant

Power Granule can be blended with bulk fertilizer for large broadcast applications.

Irrigation isn’t required. Night-time irrigation will suffice. Power Granule is about 48 hours

behind Power Pac in efficacy as it has to be rinsed from the ecolite. Power Granule provides

the same benefits at the same cost as Matrix, the granular inoculant from PATHWAY’s Soilize

line.

Enhanced Granular for use as

Soil Inoculant

MORE

More is a liquid inoculant that can be utilized through fertigation

or as a direct foliar application. An enzymatic activant for the soil and

plant, More accelerates microbial propagation and activity in the

rhizosphere. It contains a synergistic formulation of microbes and

kelp (10% Ascophyllum nodosum) providing chelation of micro-

nutrients and stimulating root growth. Contact your PATHWAY

representative for specifications and rates.

MANAGE FUNGI

Manage Fungi is a robust consortia of beneficial Trichoderma

and mycorrhizal fungi. It is designed to maximize soil

aggregation and root growth by mining the soil for

nutrients. Manage Fungi is an excellent tool for turf and

plant establishment. These beneficial fungi create a web

effect increasing the surface area that roots can utilize for

more efficient nutrient and water uptake.

HOW DOES PATHWAY FIT MY MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL?

Your goal should be to establish and maintain colonies of PGPR and fungi ahead of the

stresses to be encountered. The intent is to establish an enzymatic zone with high metabolite

concentrations in the rhizosphere. Think of this as a safety net with no holes. This will provide the

best results relative to continuity, consistency, and predictability.

A protocol of regularly scheduled applications works best because that ensures continuity

and consistency. You get what you expect. There are no surprises. There are many ways this

can be accomplished. Some are spray programs, some are irrigation applications from a

fertigation pump, some are dry applications and some are hybrid applications, meaning a customer

uses Power Pac or More in conjunction with Power Coat or Power Granule. Remember, the key

to success is to establish sustainable colonies and create an enzymatic zone with minimal breaks.

The best way to do this is through the scheduling of regular application intervals, and the addition

of the energy source, Root Honey. Without fuel, the microbial population may just sit there, doing

little work. They may even go on strike. For maximum results for the effort made, it’s imperative

that you provide fuel, like Root Honey.

Protocols can be devised for different types of solutions. There are protocols for

nematodes, focusing on those months when nematodes are most active. There are protocols for

summer stress when heat is a problem. There are protocols for organic matter management and

for nutrient efficiency. There are protocols for plant establishment and transplanting. These may

be broken into segments instead of a 7 to 11 month continuum. These are somewhat more

economical but they allow gaps in the enzymatic coverage.

Your applications should start when the soil temperatures are in the + 55 degree range.

This is when root growth and microbial activity start getting down to business. By establishing

colonization programs early, you can strengthen your root system and pre-empt any stress-related

circumstances prior to hot weather. Duration of applications may vary between 6 to 12 months,

depending on what you are trying to accomplish, your geographic location , and whether over-

seeding is necessary.

COST - BENEFIT CRITERIA

Cost / benefit ratio is really one of the most important metrics in making the decision

whether to use one product of somewhat equal performance over another. Cost / benefit are

tied directly to tangible and indirectly to intangible. There are tangible and intangible reasons

for using PATHWAY.

Following is a list of tangible reasons why turf and landscape managers use

PATHWAY BIOLOGIC as a T&O management tool:

1) Fewer fungicide applications. At the end of the year, if a fungicide schedule is

evaluated, T&O managers find that they needed fewer fungicide applications than

planned. Anti-fungal strains shear populations of pathogens so the intensity and

the duration are limited.

2) Fewer fertilizer applications. Again, at the end of the year, when the fertility

application record is evaluated, T&O managers find that they used less fertilizer.

Fertilizer applications lasted longer and they made fewer. Beneficial microbes

prevented volatilization and leaching of N, and N-fixers made more available from

the atmosphere.

3) Improved nematode management. Used alone or in conjunction with other

strategies, PATHWAY’s anti-nematodal consortium provides continuous protection

and no visible stress.

4) Better organic matter management. Soil tests have revealed that the continuous

use of PATHWAY BIOLOGIC consortia helps manage organic matter beyond core

aerification removal.

5) Increased stress tolerance caused by heat, drought, pathogens and transplant

shock. Because of the increase in root mass and root architecture, fewer

management inputs, (spot treatments, etc.) are needed.

Intangible reasons for using PATHWAY BIOLOGIC as a tool are:

1) Increased predictability. Turf and Landscape managers who use PATHWAY are

better able to predict turf and plant responses to changing weather conditions. By

eliminating many of the unknowns, trouble shooting is easier and more

economical when variables are removed from the thought process.

2) Increased uniformity. Turf has a more uniform and even appearance with fewer

weak areas. Plants are more healthy and robust with less blemishes.

3) Environmentally correct and responsible. PATHWAY BIOLOGIC employs naturally

occurring organisms to address problems previously addressed chemically.

4) Peace of mind. By improving predictability and uniformity, and by being a good

steward of the planet, you eliminate the dreaded ‘what ifs’ that can sidetrack your

focus due to unexpected adverse weather, criticism, etc.

As you can see, cost / benefit are a very important metric that drives nearly every decision.

When applied to PATHWAY BIOLOGIC, as a strategy, vs. a strategy of multiple applications of

chemicals and fertilizer, the bottom line is this: PATHWAY BIOLOGIC will allow you to produce

healthier turf and plants naturally while delivering opportunities to reduce the cost of labor,

pesticides, and fertilizers.

Take a moment to reflect on your management programs . . . ask yourself these 4

questions.

1) Are my maintenance programs as productive as they could be, or do they leave

me searching for something more?

2) Have I allowed my programs to become too dependent on chemical solutions?

3) Am I totally convinced the turf and landscape for which I am responsible is

naturally healthy, or is its health artificially induced by my short-lived inputs?

4) Does the turf and landscape I manage have the vitality and vigor to sustain the

stresses people, animals, weather, and other environmental factors place on it?

If your answers to these questions provide a level of management you are comfortable and

satisfied with, then we commend you and thank you for taking the time you allotted reading this

guide to learn more about PATHWAY’s science.

However, if your answers leave you with questions or a concern that you can improve the

quality of your turf and plants . . . let’s talk about it . . . give PATHWAY a call and one of our team

members will schedule a time to come by your facility to visit with you, listen to your goals and

objectives for enhancing your management protocols, and discuss how easily PATHWAY will fit

into your maintenance operation.

PATHWAY science is sound . . . PATHWAY products are easy to use . . . Isn’t it time you

get on the path, the PATHWAY to a consistently, healthier turf and landscape?

The Genera Bacillus spp., Brevibacillus spp.

•endospore formers which allows them to survive under harsh conditions

•decompose organic matter by using carbon as food source breaking down OM into simpler

compounds that can be taken up by the plant

•enhance plant growth by synthesizing natural phytohormones

•prolific enzyme producers

•solubilize minerals, (P, Ca, Fe), making them more readily available to the plant

•can survive under high and low ph levels and temperature extremes

•produce a wide variety of metabolites with antifungal and anti-nematodal activity

•phosphorous solubilizers and nitrogen fixers

•efficient PGPR’s rapidly colonizing plant roots

•produce antibiotics and antifungal metabolites suppressing pathogen activity

•produce natural plant hormones

•enhance soil structure by creating macro aggregates

•contribute in nutrient recycling

Trichoderma

•grow readily along with developing root system

•increase in root hair production, and production of natural growth hormones

•mine soil for nutrients and transport those nutrients into the plant

•produce/excrete numerous enzymes such as b-glucanase, chitinase, protease and gliotoxin

•suppress and attack pathogens through numerous mechanisms such as mycoparasitism,

antibiosis, competition for nutrients, induce internal plant defenses, inactivation of pathogen

enzymes, secretion of extracellular enzymes, and chemotrophic growth

Microbial Active Ingredients Enzymes

•catalyst for specific chemical reactions in the soil; solubilize nutrients, aid in disease and

nematode suppression, maximize nutrient cycling

•Examples: phosphatase, cellulase, gramicidin S

Antibiotics

•disrupt bacterial cell membrane formation

Lipopeptides/Bio-surfactants

•sever fungal membranes aiding in disease suppression

•natural surfactants aiding in fairy ring suppression and LDS

Siderophores

•molecules produced by microbes that naturally chelate iron

Auxins and Cytokinins

•growth hormones that stimulate cell reproduction, elongation, and root initiation

ISR (Induced Systemic Resistance) Elicitors

•activates plants own defense mechanism

Chitinases

•enzymes that aid in disease and nematode suppression

Notes

Utilize PATHWAY’s Prescription Microbiology

To Your Advantage!

Pathway – Turf & Ornamental Team

Dion Pearce . . . Division Field Specialist . . . 813.416.6112

Dwight Pickett . . .Regional Field Specialist. . . 772.486.4581

Dominique Depaz . . . Product Development Specialist . . . 352.455.3908

PathwayBioLogic.com

Pathway | 111 E. Tever St., Plant City, FL 33563 • 813.719.7284 Version 2-2014