Managing maize with Status®

As temperatures rise and rainfall becomes increasingly unpredictable, maize crops are entering a critical period where heat and drought stress can significantly impact yield potential. Dry conditions can reduce photosynthetic efficiency, disrupt nutrient uptake and accelerate senescence, limiting the plant’s ability to sustain growth during key developmental stages.

Under these conditions, maintaining both energy production and nitrogen metabolism is essential.

Status® combines two complementary technologies, MTU® and pidolic acid, to support maize through these periods of abiotic stress at a physiological level. Rather than simply stimulating growth, Status® works by maintaining the core processes that drive crop performance.

MTU® supports the photosynthetic system by protecting the photosynthetic apparatus under environmental pressure. This helps maintain electron transport and ATP production, enabling plants to remain metabolically active even under high temperatures and soil water deficit. As a result, crops stay greener for longer.

In parallel, pidolic acid plays a key role in supporting nitrogen assimilation. During drought, nutrient uptake is restricted. Pidolic acid stimulates the plant’s internal nitrogen metabolism, encouraging the production of key amino acids such as glutamic acid, which are essential for protein synthesis and growth.

Together, these modes of action provide a coordinated response to drought and heat events. Status® enhances tolerance to abiotic stress, promotes root development for improved water and nutrient scavenging, and improves nutrient use. At the same time, it helps delay stress-induced senescence by maintaining chlorophyll function and metabolic activity, supporting both in-season performance and recovery following abiotic pressure.

This dual support of photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism is why growers globally rely on Status® in challenging conditions

Application timing is critical to maximise these benefits. Status® should be applied ahead of or at the onset of stress to ensure crops are physiologically prepared, allowing key systems to remain functional before damage occurs.

In 2024, in a farmer led trial in Lincolnshire, 11 Ha of maize was treated with 0.25 l/ha Status® at GS13-14. This improved yield by +2.9 t/ha compared to 11 ha of untreated maize. Status was tested by the Maize Growers Association in 2025 at the Harper Adams trial site in Shropshire. The protocol was designed to assess the yield and quality improvement at 110 kg N/Ha of applied nitrogen. In total 26 biostimulants were screened at various application rates & timings. Status delivered a 5% increase in DM Yield at this site.

For more information on application rates, tank mixes, or crop-specific timing, contact a member of the IntraCrop team.