Kagome tomato demonstration multi-year trials

Based in Echuca Victoria, Kagome Australia is the country’s largest tomato processing company, supplying many supermarkets in Australia and internationally with high quality, Australian grown product, which they have done since 1996. Kagome Australia conducted a number of fertiliser field trials throughout the 2014-2017 processing tomato seasons.

Aim

To measure the effect of BioAg products on tomato yields and soil biological parameters that influence plant growth and nutrient cycling and use efficiency.

Method

The trial compared a control treatment (being Kagome’s standard fertiliser applications) versus the BioAg treatment plots, and was replicated four times across two separate sites. The four treated and four control plots alternated across the field and were adjacent to each other. The BioAg treatment was applied through fertigation and foliar sprays in three applications throughout the growing season.

Results

2014-2015
BioAg treatment delivered 14t/ha improvement above the control.

2016-2017
As has been the case in previous trials, the BioAg regime continues to provide yield increases. For the 2016 trial, harvested on 1 April 2017, the yield increase was +5.4t/ha.

Conclusion

When compared to the control plots, the BioAg regime has increased yields and soil health and functions in all areas and often to large degrees. By improving the processes that occur in the soil such as nutrient solubilising, nutrient cycling and nutrient delivery to root systems, the BioAg products balance the nutrient supply to plants, as well as stimulate and add diversity to soil biology populations, which in turn promotes crop health and yield.