Onion trial shows yield increase with reduced fertiliser
Trial Data
There is a rising pressure for growers to reduce fertiliser usage as awareness increases of the environmental damage they can cause. On top of this, costs remain high for traditional inputs. There is a need for a solution that:
- is more sustainable for the environment
- will meet rising demand for crops
- will financially deliver to support those working in the agricultural sector
- can improve nutrient use efficiency in crops
Our trials have been designed to assess and analyse against these criteria.
Can Maxstim’s complex biostimulants reduce the need for these inputs?
Our agronomy team have been working with onion farmers in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to assess if it’s possible to reduce the use of these agricultural inputs, and still improve the yield of a red onion crop, compared to best practice control plots, using a Maxstim biostimulant treatment regime.
We demonstrated here that our complex biostimulants trials achieved a margin increase of over £1400 per hectare. To investigate the impact of reducing the agricultural inputs, we also assigned two additional experimental treatments, one with 20% less fungicide than currently described as best practice, and the other with 20% less fertiliser. The growers implemented our application protocol on the Red Baron crop variety at the recommended total amount of 32.5l of Maxstim Agriculture+ and 8l of Maxstim Cynosa per hectare, spread over 4 separate applications. These were applied as a foliar spray and the increase in yield was calculated at harvest.
Agriculture+ is a complex biostimulant with a wide range of bioactive components including our unique bioflavonoids and polyphenols, creating better root development and early growth. Read more about Agriculture+ here
Cynosa™ contains ortho silicic acid enabling plants to assimilate silicon to strengthen plant structures and increase resistance to disease. Read more about Cynosa here
The trial results
Six plots were assigned to each experimental treatment and were compared to a control which followed current best practice. The results showed an additional 7.75 t/ha more yield in the areas treated with 20% less fungicide, and an increased yield of 4.73 t/ha in the areas treated with 20% less fertiliser, compared to the control plots.
With this data, our team has calculated that even after deducting the costs of the Maxstim complex biostimulants used, there was an increase in crop margin per hectare.
- The trial delivered an increase of £590 for the areas treated with Maxstim products combined with 20% less fertiliser
- The trial revealed an increase of £1,194 for the areas treated with Maxstim products combined with 20% less fungicide
Applying our complex biostimulants clearly shows an improvement in nutrient use efficiency. These impressive results have proven that increased profit margins are possible even when additional agricultural inputs are reduced.
If you would like to trial our products on your next crop, contact our specialist agronomists here:
Tim Cannon
Email: tim.cannon@maxstim.com
Mobile: 07884 586191
Tony Kelly
Email: tony.kelly@maxstim.com
Mobile: 07974 435417
