HumaSil™ in Processing Potatoes
By:Serve-Ag
Trial Objective
This trial was commissioned by Advanced Plant Nutrition Pty Ltd to investigate the role of the silicon-based fertiliser product HumaSil™ on productivity of a processing potato crop in northern Tasmania. The key goal of the trial was to determine if application of HumaSil™ improved crop productivity and led to an increased financial return to the grower. The trial comprised replicated plots of treated and untreated (control) potatoes and assessment components included crop yield; soil nutrient testing; and plant sap testing. Pest and disease incidence was also observed throughout the trial. The trial began October 2009 and concluded at crop harvest in April 2010.
Materials and Methods
The HumaSil™ treatment was applied over three replicates, and matched by three untreated or ‘control’ replicates. Each replicate measured 25m wide by 100m long. This gave a total treated area of 7500m2. At the application rate of 100kg per Ha, a total of 75kg of HumaSil™ was used. Application to each of the treated replicates was carried out using a hand-operated Maruyama MG10 fertiliser spreader to ensure even distribution of the product prior to planting. Coordinates for the six replicates are shown in Table 2 (using Australian Map Grid datum).
Results and Discussion
Growers of processing potatoes are paid primarily on yield of marketable potatoes, minus defects and quality parameters such as bruising and specific gravity for frying. No post-harvest assessments of such defects and quality parameters were undertaken in this trial. The mean weight of the marketable tubers treated with HumaSil™ in this trial was 1.72kg greater than the control per 3.0m strip. This equates to an estimated yield increase of 6.37 tonnes per hectare compared to the control, which is a very positive result.