AGTIV^® Inoculant Storage And Handling 

The active ingredients contained in AGTIV^® inoculants are living organisms. Storage and handling of these products must respect a few basic guidelines for the organisms to maintain maximum viability and the physico-chemical properties of the products.

Here are a few of the main guidelines, and a short explanation if you ever wondered why it’s important to follow them. If not, we still invite you to carefully read the product label as it holds all the information about product storage and handling, for safety purposes, and to maintain product quality.

PRODUCT SHELF LIFE (BEST BEFORE DATE)

Guideline:

• Respect the best before date on the label.
• Use best practices of inventory management on a “first in – first out” basis (FIFO best practice).

WHY?

As they are living organisms, active ingredients in AGTIV^® products have a limited lifespan. AGTIV^® products guarantee the minimum viable organisms and efficacy of products up to the date written on each label.

Depending of the product type or formulation (powder, granular, liquid), the active ingredients will not have the same shelf-life and even the same tolerance to temperature variations.

Products containing Mycorrhizal inoculants (PTB297 technology)

• Powder: up to 15 months after production when kept below 35°C (95°F). Do not freeze;
• Granular: up to 12 months after production when kept below 35°C (95°F). Do not freeze;
• Liquid: up to 3 months when kept between 4 to 8°C. Do not freeze.

Products containing Rhizobium inoculants (PTB160 and PTB162 technologies)

• Powder and Granular: up to 8 months after production when kept below 25°C (77°F). Do not freeze;
• Liquid: up to 3 months when kept between 4 to 22°C. Do not freeze.
  
  

STORAGE TEMPERATURE

Guidelines:

• Store in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight.
• Do not freeze or expose to high temperatures (See label for specifications).
• Avoid severe temperature variations.

WHY?

• Inoculant viability is directly linked to storage temperature.
• Leaving a product in direct sunlight rises product temperature, which may:
  - Shorten the product’s shelf life. Active ingredients will consume their energy reserves faster when subjected to warmer temperatures;
  - Modify the moisture content of the bags/pails, hence affecting the consistency and efficacy;
  - Create condensation inside the packaging, affecting flowability and efficacy;
• Mycorrhizal fungi have relatively resistant cell structures, but they need to adapt to temperature variations in a gradual manner. Rhizobium bacteria are more fragile when subjected to warm temperatures, and also need to adapt to temperature variations.
• Mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobium bacteria will not tolerate freezing. Note that the inert material in AGTIV^® products (powder/granule/liquid) might be damaged by frost conditions, hence impacting the efficacy of the product and viability of active ingredients.

SPECIFICITY FOR GRANULAR PRODUCTS

Guidelines:

• DO NOT DOUBLE-STACK skids of granular products.

WHY?

Skids are designed to hold the right quantity of bags and the weight of double-stacking creates additional compaction on the bags, thus compacting granules. This causes physical damage to granules and creates more fine particles, thereby affecting the consistency and flowability of the product.

CONCLUSION

PRO-MIX^® growing media integrated active ingredients represents sales of over 51 million cubic feet of peat each year. Also, nearly one million acres in-field (450,000 hectares) are treated with AGTIV^® active ingredients by producers in North America and Europe.