Evaluation of Supersoil Global as a fertiliser for the growth of Hyacinthus orientalis
100% organic product
Supersoil is a product that is 100% organic, and uses microorganisms, specifically bacteria to enhance the availability of nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in soil for uptake by plants.
Unlike conventional chemical fertilisers that are associated with high costs and environmental impacts, Supersoil does not provide nutrients to the soil, instead it inoculates the soil with a highly diverse range of microbes that work together to metabolise nutrients that are already present in the soil, or compost for example.
Supersoil are seeking to test the product to tweak it for different soil conditions around the world and to confirm the optimal soil conditions that the product can thrive in and to determine which soil chemistry has a detrimental effect on the soil quality.
Mesocosm experiment
This study consisted of a mesocosm experiment that was conducted to evaluate the effect of Supersoil on the growth of Hyacinthus orientalis (Pink Pearl). The genus Hyacinthus includes approximately 30 species that are native to southwestern Asia and Mediterranean basins. It is a bulbous plant frequently used as a component of floral arrangements grown in flowerbeds, The variety used in this study is commonly grown and is used as a festive fragrant flowering Christmas display.
The results showed that Supersoil increased the overall fresh weighing (FW) biomass, direct weighing (DW) biomass, and total number of florets in comparison to the use of the conventional garden fertiliser and the use of no product. Supersoil also increased the total FW of florets in comparison to plants grown using the conventional garden fertiliser. Supersoil substantially increased the re-growth of plants in drought conditions once the initial mesocosm experiment had ended
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Irish business
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Innovation Voucher
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Mesocosm experiment
“The research by staff at DkIT and CREDIT Technology Gateway has validated our own trials with Supersoil through a well-defined and carefully monitored research trial process which will support the Supersoil marketing efforts and hopefully drive increased sales revenue through the business.”.
Jessica Moneley – Business Director
Supersoil & CREDIT Technology Gateway partnership
The results indicate that with Supersoil there is an increased total number of florets compared to the use of both conventional garden fertiliser and no product fertiliser. This has implications for productivity for client growers and consequences on Supersoil sales.