Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FIBL (Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau)
Effects of AgriBoost on the production of transplants

First results
Martin Koller and Thomas Alföldi
April 2002, Frick Switzerland

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Introduction
In 2001 FiBL has carried out a first experiment with AgriBoost amendment in potting earth.
The results were:

• AgriBoost enhanced the growth of cauliflower and tomato plantlets
• AgriBoost has a greater effect without compost
• AgriBoost enhanced the uptake of several minerals: For both crops N, Mg, Ca and B;
  additional for tomatoes Fe, Zn, Cu, P and K

Different concentrations of AgriBoost in the substrate (5%, 10%)

• AgriBoost compared with other commercial rock and clay powder
• AgriBoost under plastic pot and peat pot conditions
• AgriBoost in different commercial substrate types

We measured fresh weight of the test plant and selected characteristics of the potting media.

Material and Methods
Test crop: Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cv. ”Cristal”
Replicates: Plastic pots: 6 with 3-4 plants (n=20 per treatment)
Peat pot: 2 with 10 plants (n=20 per treatment)

Treatments:

(*) Per m3: 10 kg lime, 0.75 kg ammonium nitrate (27%), 0.55 kg phosphate fertiliser (basic slag, 17 %)
and 0.8 kg sulphate of potash

Triohum Potgrond H & P and Klasman KKS Bio-Potgrond are brand-named commercial potting mixes in
Europe.

Results and Discussion
Fresh weight of the test plant

Fig. 1: Fresh weight of tomato plantlets with 10 % of AgriBoost in black peat (n=20, p < 0.001, Tukey ? = 0.05)

Fig. 2: Fresh weight of tomato plantlets, with 10 % AgriBoost, bentonite and rock powder in commercial, conventional growing media(n=20, p < 0.001, Tukey ? = 0.05)

Fig. 3: Fresh weight of tomato plantlets with and without AgriBoost in organic potting media (n=20, p < 0.001, Tukey ? = 0.05)

First Conclusions:

• AgriBoost increased the fresh weight of tomato plantlets
• Effect of AgriBoost in commercial potting media is lower than in black peat lime mixture
• Other clay (Bentonite) and rock powder did not show an effect

Charateristics of potting media

Tab. 1 Potting media parameters before the experiment:

Fig. 5: pH Value of different potting media with and without AgriBoost after experiment (n=4)

Fig. 6: Conductivity of different potting media with and without AgriBoost after experiment(n=4)

Fig. 7: Dry matter content of different potting media with and without AgriBoost after experiment (n=4)

First Conclusions

• pH of the potting media with AgriBoost has significantly increased
• Dry matter of the potting media with AgriBoost significantly increased
• Conductivity: Small difference between the comparable treatments (no difference in black peat
  treatments, with Potgrond H and Bio-Potgrond sig. decreasing with AgriBoost)