Redox Ratio can be loosely defined as the level of free radicals divided by the level of anti-oxidants at the cellular level. Dr. Richard Vierling (Purdue University and Indiana Crop Improvement Association) has created an assay that measures the overall levels of antioxidants in the dried seed. The test quantifies the Total Non-enzymatic Antioxidant Potential (TNAP) of seed. While not calculating the action of antioxidant enzymes, the test has the virtue of measuring the total of all the many other antioxidants, which vary by species. Since most environmental stresses are mediated at the cellular level by surges of free radical, antioxidant potential can provide an important indicator of a plant's ability to withstand environmental stress.

MIR seed enhancement technology has been shown to consistently increase antioxidant levels (as measured by the TNAP assay) as well as to raise stress tolerance.

Background Information on Cellular Activity: Respiration has two meanings in biology. Most people know the one most common to human anatomy - the intake of oxygen and breathing out of carbon dioxide. It is the second meaning that is critical in understanding the next section on how the MIR/Stress Guard™ affects the redox ratio of a cell.

Respiration on a cellular level is actually the oxidation of food by cells and is the means by which an organism obtains energy. This energy comes in the form of Adenine Triphosphate (ATP). The process by which ATP is created in the presence of oxygen is called aerobic respiration (also referred to by some biologists as true cellular respiration.) Mitochondria are complex organelles where cellular respiration takes place. The mitochondria matrix contains enzymes that are used to break down specific molecules and release their energy. The inner membrane contains a complex series of enzymes and other proteins which are involved in transforming the chemical energy in food molecules into chemical energy stored in ATP. Therefore, the main function of the mitochondrion is to produce the ATP required to perform cellular work.

How the MIR/Stress Guard™ System Affects the Redox Ratio: Dr. W.C. Levengood (the developer of MIR) wrote an article (published in the journal Bioenergetics and Bioelectrochemistry) that indicated that the appearance of peaks during long term measurements corresponds to bursts of oxidative respiration by the mitochondria within the cell. The higher the peak, the higher the free radical content of the respiratory burst. Such, free radical spikes, produced by nearly all environmental stresses, depress ATP or energy production at the cell level. MIR's ability to depress the magnitude of these bursts, means that the plant is able to continue producing energy on a less-interrupted basis in the real world of the field. This may explain MIR's noted ability to allow late day corn hybrids to come into maturity further north than normal, making more efficient use of the available heat units. Likewise accelerated maturity has been measured in sweet corn and tomatoes. Wheat treated with MIR has not only showed significantly higher yields, but has matured and dried down faster. Blossoming of flowers has also been accelerated.

A Real-Life Example: The chart below reflects the test results of seed used in the University of Florida field and growth room studies as published in the Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society, 1999. To read more about this study, click here.

1998 SWEET CORN COMPARISON OF INCREASE IN YIELD 
VERSUS DECLINE IN REDOX RATIO