A sustainable solution for higher yields and improved profitability – Great Land Plus® Tomato Emergence and Establishment Trial, September 2012

Overview

Aim: Visual assessment of the impact of Great Land (GL) on tomato seed emergence and establishment.

Design: 10 seeds (replicates) were planted in each of 5 trays (treatments). Germination and establishment in an open temperature greenhouse in Lara, Victoria. Total duration of trial 38 days.

Treatments: Five treatments:

  • ‘Control’ (UTC): No treatment
  • ‘GL Only’: GL @ 40L/ha applied in furrow at planting
  • ‘GL + Confidor’: GL @ 40L/ha in furrow + Confidor @ 700mL/ha
  • ‘FF’: Flowphos NPK fertiliser @ 40L/ha applied in fertigation. (No GL applied)
  • ‘GL + FF’: GL @ 40L/ha in furrow + Flowphos @ 30L/ha applied in fertigation.

Assessments: Visual assessments: speed of emergence and crop establishment – early growth of plants and roots.

Conditions: Spring conditions prevailed for most of the trial. Optimum moisture levels were maintained except for one week of very dry conditions in the 4th week after planting.

Trial Results

Faster germination: all three GL treatments reached full cotyledon stage 1.5 days earlier than untreated. Flowphos only treatment (FF) showed no improvement in emergence. Benefits from NPK added at planting were only apparent from around 3 weeks after planting. The addition of Confidor in this study showed no visual difference against the ‘GL only’ treatment for seed emergence or early growth.

Response to stress: after the dry period over week four, GL treated plants were observed to withstand moisture stress better than other treatments. Superior resilience was observed in GL + FF treatment.

Conclusions:

The trial demonstrated that Great Land benefits seed emergence and early growth of roots and plants. In addition, results indicate synergistic benefits arising from the use of Great Land with moderate amounts of added fertiliser, in this case NPK with Flowphos.

After establishment: 28 days post planting

Left: Untreated control | Right: Treated GLP + FF

End of Trial Observations: 38 days post planting