| 13th March 2003
Research at the Henry Doubleday Research Station has shown that
priming seed with Maxicrop can improve emergence rates by between
8-36% after 7-10 days.
Most responsive crops in the trials were tomato and carrot, followed
by lettuce and radish. In tomatoes, for example, this improved germination,
resulted in a 30 and 45% increase in root and shoot dry weight,
25 days after transplanting.
It is important that the first application of Maxicrop Triple is
made to the rooting environment as early as possible in the plant's
life. This 'primes' the soil medium. In practice, the 'primer' application
can either be applied hydroponically, as a soil drench, or by pre-soaking
or priming seed prior to planting, if appropriate. Alternatively,
if growers are planting raised modules, then a root dip may be used.
A second application, normally within six weeks of the first, builds
on this and properly 'activates' the rooting medium, usually leading
to a visible improvement in plant growth.
This second treatment can be applied as a spray, or by drip-feeding
and it important to target the rooting medium and thereby influence
microbe activity.
Commercial trials under 5 acres of glass, by Scotland’s largest
producer of tomatoes - William Chapman of Garrion Farm near Wishaw
in the Clyde Valley - confirm that this effect noted by HDRA results
in better seedling survival.
Pre-soaking seed in a 1:400 dilution of Maxicrop Triple improved
seedling survival by 4%.
When this was followed up by feeding with Maxicrop by overhead watering,
the seedlings were also faster growing with a more extensive root
structure, bringing forward transplanting by 7 days.
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