John Kempf explains three principal ways the product "pinyon" (also referenced as Pinion) controls disease when sprayed on leaves: (1) it shifts the leaf-surface redox/environment to a more reduced state, altering pathogen–microbiome interactions; (2) it changes the phylloplane microbiome, increasing diversity and stimulating presence/strength of phytosanitary bacteria (even though the product does not directly contain those bacteria); and (3) it appears to activate multiple plant immune pathway genes, producing sustained immune expression and season-long effects after a single application. Kempf notes regulatory differences (biocontrol registrations in Europe) and potential downstream benefits including fewer applications, lower input costs, greater plant robustness, and higher yields.
Chapters
When pinyon is sprayed on the leaf surface, it immediately changes both the leaf surface environment and as I understand it, also the internal leaf environment. From a redox perspective, it moves the entire plant to a much more. Into a much more reduced environment, particularly the leaf surface which already has. It already changes the dynamics and the relationships between the potential pathogens and other microorganisms in the microbiome on the phyloplane that could have a suppressive effect. There's an immediate environment shift. If you're familiar with Olivier Husson's work and the paper that I collaborated on, EH&PH homeostasis and the impact that that has on disease expression. This is a very fundamental piece. By changing the environment, we change how these various organisms can express themselves and how virulent they can be. The second macro action is that pinyin changes the microbiome. It changes the composition and the presence of and the, I don't want to use the word the aggressiveness of, but the strength of the various microbial communities. And so your microbiome becomes a lot more diverse and you get. Pinyin doesn't contain any, doesn't directly contain any of these bacteria that are called phytosanitary bacteria. There's a couple dozen species that fit into this category. It doesn't contain any of those microbes directly, but it stimulates the presence of those microbes in a quite a significant way, as I understand it. And then the third and by the way, those phytosanitary bacteria are, the regulatory framework doesn't exist yet or is just coming into existence here in North America to have those phytosanitary bacteria registered as biocontrols, but they've been registered as biofungicides in Europe for a decade plus at quite low concentrations. The third major effect of pinyin is that based on plant expression it appears that we are turning on a number of different immune pathway genes and that we have very strong genetic expression of plant immunity in a number of different pathways. So we are still collecting and developing further data to validate the scope of what is happening here. But there is definitely, it would appear to be a combination of genetic activation plus the microbiome changes that are contributing to this long term effect where we are seeing a single application have long term continued effects and changing that plant's microbiome and changing that plant's expression for the rest of the season. So pinyon, when, when you compare pinyon with other bio controls, bio fungicides or even just a conventional fungicide application, the, the reduction, if this pattern continues to hold true that we've been observing for the last two years. This will also contribute to significant reduction in input costs because fewer applications are going to be needed. And the interesting aspect in all of this, of course, if you think about what I just said of enhancing the microbiome and having this long term plant immune response, that also translates to having a plant that is a lot more robust, having a plant that is a lot healthier. And so there are a cascade of indirect effects that contribute to increasing yield above and beyond just simply controlling the pest and controlling the fungal disease.
