NEWSPAGE

NEW NATURAL FERTILISER RANGE

The net effect of using Maxicrop Natural Fertiliser is to produce a strong,
healthy plant which can meet the growth stresses encountered during
the growing season, resulting in top yields and quality for the grower.

Maxicrop Natural Fertiliser is available in boxes of 2 x 10 litre bottles.

New trials have confirmed the benefits of using seaweed extract based bio-stimulants to improve rooting and reduce stress in oilseed rape.

The most effective programme produced a 0.8t/ha (27%) yield response and a 0.2t/ha (16%) increase in total oil yield from autumn and spring use of Maxicrop Triple.

Based on oilseed rape at current farm values (£390/t) this yield improvement alone would be worth an extra £285/ha after the cost of treatment.

According to Maxicrop UK’s Mike Garner, while a range of factors are probably at play, the response is probably due to better rooting in difficult conditions and then the resultant improvement in spring and summer growth.

“Oilseed rape typically sets a very strong tap root, but is often slow to produce fine, secondary roots after emergence,” he says.

“This effect is often exacerbated in difficult autumns like 2011 and without these fibrous roots the plant’s ability to take up nutrients and moisture later on in the season is restricted.”

Mr Garner also points out that poor rooting often leads to poor establishment with poor ground cover, leaving the crop open to greater attack by pigeons and more susceptible to winter kill.

The independent trials - conducted by NDSM Ltd in 2011-12 - for the first time bolted on an autumn application at the 3-5 leaf stage of the crop to a tried and tested spring application commonly timed at stem extension.

This two pronged spray approach increased yield in the trial variety, Compass, grown on stress prone light land from 2.7 to 3.5t/ha.

While analyses of root or shoot biomass were not taken, measurements of boron in plant tissues confirmed better nutrient uptake potential of the Maxicrop Triple treated plants.

Levels in plant tissue in the spring ranged from 8-20% higher. “Treated crops were better able to scavenge more boron from the soil and effectively use it to fuel growth,” says Mr Garner.

“We have seen the benefits of a spring application of Maxicrop Triple in the past but this trial shows that the product can help improve early emergence and then maintain growth over a contrasting season.

“Fundamental research has shown that specific carbohydrates in our seaweed extracts serve as a source of food for beneficial and benign soil bacteria, resulting in a large increase in microbe numbers,” he points out.

“These microbes help improve nutrient turn-over leading to a significantly larger root mass and the increased bacterial population can also both physically exclude and compete with potential plant pathogenic soil fungi.

“In addition, soil and foliar application of Maxicrop Triple has been shown in University Research to result in greater maintenance of chlorophyll, leading to greener plants.

“This is, in part, due to a complex family of different betaines in the seaweed extract, which help reduce natural damage to the photosynthetic process.

“The practical benefits of these principle effects within the plant are to minimise some of the stresses imposed on the crop during key periods of growth and hence to keep the crop on course for high yields.

“Our advice to growers this year is to utilise Maxicrop Triple at 2-3l/ha both in the autumn and then in the spring, tank mixed with standard fungicides to counteract the varied stresses that curtail crop potential at these stages.

“While crops now have sufficient moisture to encourage early growth, many, particularly in the north, are drilled late and these will need all the help they can get to make up for the delay.”

Further information from Mike Garner, Tel 07778 133343 or mgarner@maxicrop.co.uk


Download the PDF factsheet here

Maxicrop - Helps reduce drought problems

Gardeners and growers could benefit from the unique action of certain seaweed extracts in helping plants cope better in dry conditions.

We believe the main reason that keen gardeners and commercial growers in the UK use Maxicrop seaweed extract is for the stronger, healthier growth that results from its use.

However, it has been shown that Maxicrop can also helps plants cope better with stress – including drought stress. Maxicrop works by improving the efficiency of uptake of water from the soil and by allowing plants to cope better physiologically with drought stress.

Improving the efficiency of uptake of water from the soil

Regular use of Maxicrop increases root mass and rooting depth – from seedlings to mature plants – see Figure 1. The greater the root mass and depth, the greater the potential to take up available water from the soil.

Researchers at the University of Wales recorded a near trebling of root weight with perennial ryegrass after five weeks following use of Maxicrop - they concluded that: "The ability of Maxicrop to improve root development gives the plant a greater potential to increase nutrient uptake. Similarly, under field conditions, an increased resistance to water stress could be expected from a more extensive root system."

More and deeper plant roots will tend to give better soil structure - allowing rainwater to enter and penetrate the soil better, with less run off.

Allowing plants to cope better physiologically with drought stress

Some naturally occurring substances in seaweed - such as mannitol and betaines - are known to enable plants to cope better physiologically with drought stress.

These substances work as 'osmoprotectants' in plants - increasing the ability of the plant cells to maintain an internal cell solute concentration when the external solute concentration is high - enabling plants to function better in drought conditions - see Figure 2.

Will Maxicrop cure a severe drought problem?

Absolutely not! - but it can help the situation as described above, as part of an overall package of measure that gardeners can employ - such as water conservation (water butts, etc.) using dish or bath water, watering early morning or late evening (to reduce evaporation) mulching (to hold moisture) etc.

However, if plants don't get enough water they will not 'do' - Maxicrop will help, but it is not a miracle cure for drought!

Which product and how much?

We recommend mixing 45ml of Maxicrop Original seaweed extract in 9 litres of water (typical watering can full) - this solution can be applied as a root drench or foliar spray every 7 to 14 days (every 7 days in hot, dry weather). Watering cans or knapsack sprayers can be used to apply the solution.

Although positive effects on root growth start to occur after just two applications, it is important to apply regularly to get the best effect.

Applied in this way, a litre bottle of Maxicrop Original (costing £8.29) will be sufficient for a garden of 140 sq.m. (assuming the whole garden is fed for a 3 month period).

Maxicrop Original contains negligible quantities of N P K fertiliser and so tends to be used by gardeners who already use some sort of fertiliser mix. Maxicrop Complete Garden Feed has all the advantages of Maxicrop seaweed with the added benefit of 5:5:5 NPK fertiliser.

The benefits of Maxicrop in normal/non drought situations (better rooting, greener leaves, stronger healthier growth) make it excellent value for money - helping as part of a package of measures to cope with drought conditions is an added benefit.

Figure 1. Roots with & without seaweed extract blend treatment

Species Salvia. Top row plants treated
with root drench containing seaweed
extract blend.

Top row plants in each case treated with root drench containing seaweed extract blend.

Figure 2. Plants with & without Maxicrop treatment