Vegetable growers wanting to improve their soil and plant nutrition will be familiar with humic acid and may know that fulvic acid is its principal ‘active’ ingredient and is arguably the most valuable input in biological agriculture.
Fulvic acid has been proven time and time again to increase the profitability of crops, both in field crops and it also has an important place in glasshouse crops.
In case you need a refresher of just some of its magic properties, fulvic acid:
- is a powerful organic electrolyte to help in times of stress
- is a powerful detoxifier cleaning up soil
- has the capacity to dissolve insoluble materials increasing base fertiliser efficiency
- is a highly efficient chelating agent so can move minerals unhindered into the plant
- relieves oxygen deficiency and increases metabolic activity during fruiting periods enhancing crop yield and quality
- improves drought resistance saving crops
- accumulates soluble sugars which increases profitability
- improves seed germination so effectively increases yields
- increases the chlorophyll content of leaves to improve photosynthesis and ripening
- reducing mineral loss and eutrophication of waterways.
Here at Roots, Shoots & Fruits, we are very proud to supply New Zealand farmers with Mobilizer™, an organic fulvic acid product. The results have been incredible! It increases nutrient levels, yield and quality, and it is used by many growers to improve crop production, while also minimising fertiliser costs.
WHEN TO USE FULVIC ACID?
For optimum results, use Mobilizer™ in early season soil treatments and as a post-emergent foliar spray. However, it is applicable to all crops at all stages, benefiting your plants and produce, even in hydroponics systems, by:
- increasing the overall health and mineral balance of plants
- reducing the loss of minerals
- enabling plants to withstand periods of wilting and extreme conditions
- improving nutrient transport within plants
- increasing crop yield and quality
SHOW ME THE PROOF!
Yes, Mobilizer™ sounds great on paper, but how does it compare to a control approach you might ask. To find out, we asked a range of vegetable producers, who put it to the test.
POTATOES INCREASE IN WEIGHT BY 14%
A potato farmer in Pukekohe applied Mobilizer™ twice as a foliar spray, at 2L per hectare. The first application was when the potatoes were between the shoot and vegetative phenological stage, and the second application was carried out at tuber initiation.
In New Zealand, the average weight yield was approx 40 tonnes per hectare and the average price was $400 per tonne at the time of the trial. This particular grower would receive around $16,000 p/ha under his normal control conditions, however, where Mobilizer™ was added, a 14% increase in tonnage was achieved resulting in 45.6 tonnes per hectare, increasing his payment to $18,240 per hectare. This is a conservative estimate and it would likely be more, as the size of the potatoes would generally fetch higher payments.
With an outlay of $50 per hectare for the Mobilizer™ product, it is a highly cost-effective investment. Independent trials conducted by Peracto confirm a significant increase in potato yields through the use of Mobilizer™.
(View full trial paper here.)
CARROTS INCREASE IN SIZE AND YIELD, AND PROFIT
A carrot grower, also in Pukekohe, found similar results. Mobilizer™ was applied at 2L/ha to the drilled carrot field two weeks after the carrots were sown, with a second application applied a month later at a rate of 2L per hectare. Upon measuring the carrots, it was found that Mobilizer™ did, in fact, increase the size and yield of their carrots and they experienced an overall increase in profit. Win!
(View trial paper here.)
FRENCH BEANS INCREASE WEIGHT BY 46%
A farmer growing French beans in Hawkes Bay also boosted the bottom line with an increased bean count of 24% when using Mobilizer™, his yield weight also increased by 46% and plant fresh weight increased by 18%. In New Zealand, bean growers were paid at the time of this trial $420-$430 per tonne, and this particular crop reached 15.3 tonne ha, a 46% increase in yield weight production, which proves there is potential for growers to earn significant financial rewards.
(View trial paper here.)
GLASSHOUSE CAPSICUMS MINERAL LEVELS INCREASE DRAMATICALLY
Gourmet Waiuku also tested Mobilizer’s™ effects on the nutrient content of their indoor capsicum stock, using two glasshouses fertigated with the same nutrient mix with the addition of Mobilizer to one. Leaf samples were taken prior to testing and again seven days after the treatment and it was found that Mobilizer™ lifted important mineral levels in the plants, including Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc and Boron, which are important for cell strength, colour and flowering. The addition of Mobilizer™ also reduced Sodium levels.
(View trial paper here).
The white paper from The Chemistry and Biology Research Institute Agriculture, Canada, show that the administration of 100-300ppm of Fulvic acid to a nutrient solution in which cucumber plants were grown, significantly affected the growth and development of the plants including the formation of flower numbers which is directly related to increased yield.
Simply apply a general rate of just 1ml Mobilizer™ per 1L water into both nutrient Tank A and Tank B for increased mineral uptake and yield. Ensure to pour the Mobilizer™ solution in slowly for pH stability as yet another benefit of Mobilizer™ is that it buffers water!
Here is a helpful link to the water buffer table.
To read more trial results view these pages:
