|
HOUSTON (March 10, 2005) — Recent university field
trials showed that melon cantaloupe plants drip-irrigated
with a Stoller® Crop Health Therapy product produced
more plentiful, larger, and sweeter fruits than plants in
control plots.
In trials conducted in October 2004 at a Texas
A&M Agricultural Research & Extension
Center in Weslaco, melon crops drip-irrigated weekly with five gallons per acre
of Root Feed produced 130 percent more crates of fruit than untreated plants.
The treated crops also yielded 308 percent more marketable fruit weight in the
size categories of 9 to 15. Further, the Root Feed-treated plants produced sweeter
fruits, as the Brix percentage was almost 28 percent higher in the treated crop
than the untreated.
Irrigation with Root Feed began immediately after transplanting
the melon crop and continued through the end of the melon
harvest.
“In addition to these increases in yield, fruit size,
and sweetness, the treated crops were larger and hardier,” explained
Dr. T..X. Liu, associate professor of entomology at Texas
A&M. “The crowns, roots, and stem diameters
were larger, and as the season progressed, the treated plants had thicker vines,
shorter internodes, and larger nodes, and the plants had more viable flowers.
Notably, the size and quality of the fruit was more uniform from the crown
to the terminal.
“Also, unlike the control plants, the treated plants
continued to prosper and grow melons for a longer period
of time than the plants that did not receive
the treatment, and based on our experience, it’s not unrealistic to
expect up to 5 harvests per planting with crops treated with Root Feed,” said
Liu.
Researchers also noted that crops irrigated with Root Feed
were less affected by disease and pests. Among the treated
crops, there was a 67 percent
reduced
rate of infestation of Downey Mildew. Treated crops also experienced a
28 percent reduced incidence of damage by cucumber beetles
compared with untreated
crops.
Crop Health Therapy helps maintain appropriate hormone balance
inside plants during each stage of growth. This allows the
roots
to thrive, resulting
in healthier plants better able to withstand stress and realize more of
their
genetic potential.
StollerUSA manufactures and markets Crop Health Therapy products designed
for a plant’s specific needs throughout the four stages of plant
growth: germination, vegetative growth, flowering, and maturity.
# # #
In agribusiness for more than 30 years, Stoller USA markets
13 Crop Health Therapy products to help growers increase
crop yield and quality. StollerUSA,
headquartered
in Houston, is actively researching and developing Crop Health Therapy products
in more than 50 countries. For more information about StollerUSA, visit www.StollerUSA.com. |
