UPDATE 02/24/2020
On November 18 we received the first results of the trial that Ficosterra had done with IMIDRA, in grasslands and turf for sports use, with the biostimulant ficosturf. Below are all the details
As we informed you in our blog post of November 2019, Ficosterra signed a collaboration agreement with the Madrid Institute for Rural, Agrarian, and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA) last January.
Here are the updated results of this collaboration agreement on measuring the effects of the ficosturf liquid biostimulant within the grassland crop cycle.
Results available to download in this link.
These results could not have been more satisfying: the areas treated with ficosturf, both in grassland and in sports turf (sandy substrate and sandy loam) “have developed intense microbial activity and greater availability of nutrients to the cespitose, which has led to the outstanding growth of the root system. The application of ficosturf has led to an improvement in the chemical composition, thus avoiding the excessive use of fertilizers and preserving the environment,” the technicians concluded.
IMIDRA, a reference research center in the CAM
IMIDRA is an organization in the Community of Madrid, created in 1997. It was created to collaborate with other public or private entities. One of its main purposes is “to promote, coordinate, and carry out research projects related to the primary sector to find the creation or adaptation of the most appropriate and environmentally friendly technologies.”
IMIDRA has contributed to this trial:
- The machinery and labor necessary to facilitate the maintenance of the experimental structure
- Tuning of the plots and planting
- Conservation work and adaptation to the needs of this research (product application, irrigation dosage, mowing, etc.)
- They have also taken the necessary samples for further study and assessment
All this thanks to a complete and qualified technical team, led by Dr. Pedro V. Marín Ablanque in collaboration with Dr. José Fernando Marín Peira (director of Green Area-MG projects) and Dr. Salima Yousfi, Researcher within the Xerocésped operating group. The trials lasted from May 2019 to December 2019.
Objectives of the study
The objective was for competent technicians in the field to evaluate, without bias, the effect of the ficosturf biostimulant on the composition and fertility of the soils, on the one hand, and on the other, the foliar and root growth of different cespitose plants.
Factors analyzed in both trials
To compare the effect of the biostimulant in the two types of soils (sports grass and ornamental grassland) these were analyzed:
- PH
- Electrical conductivity
- Microbial activity (measured by breathing)
- Nutrients Ca + 2 K + P and Mg + 2
The analyses performed on the two soil samples and measured their effects:
- Measures of NDVI (standardized difference vegetation index) by using a Green Seeker portable sensor
- Root sampling by extracting samples with a tool to measure root length.
Results
The analyses of the texture of the different soils are presented in table #1, showing that Encin golf’s substrate is 92% Sand, while the Imidra test plots are sandy loam.
SOIL TEXTURES OF THE STUDY
EFFECT OF BIOSTIMULANT ON PH, CONDUCTIVITY, AND NUTRIENTS IN THE TWO TESTS
Given these results, both the pH and the electrical conductivity decrease with the application of the biostimulant in the sandy loam soil test (table 2), while in the sandy substrate of the Encín Golf (sports turf) it has been observed that the pH of the biostimulant increases with the application, increasing, also, the availability of the nutrients Ca + 2 K + P and Mg + 2 in both trials (Table 2).
EFFECTS OF BIOSTIMULANT ON MICROBIAL ACTIVITY (BREATHING MEASURE)
EFFECTS OF BIOSTIMULANT ON ROOT LENGTH
Conclusions
The experts who have mediated this study have concluded that the application of the ficosturf biostimulant “is positive in both trials (sandy substrate and sandy loam). The biostimulant improves microbial activity and nutrient availability in both soils, causing greater growth of the root system in the different cespitose plants. The application of ficosturf has led to an improvement in the chemical composition, thus avoiding the excessive use of fertilizers and preserving the environment.”
All results available in this pdf ready to download
