FiBL - Plant Growth and Nutrient Uptake for Tomato Plantlets

Research was conducted at the Swiss institute to evaluate H2OLD ® in different potting media, as well as to compare H2OLD ® to other soil amendments.

Experiment 1: H2OLD ® was added to cauliflower and tomato plantlet potting media at different rates:

  • H2OLD ® enhanced the growth of cauliflower tomato plantlets
  • H2OLD ® enhanced the uptake of several minerals: For both crops N, Mg, Ca and B; additional for tomatoes Fe, Zn, Cu, P and K

fibl results 1

Experiment 2: H2OLD ® was added to different tomato plantlet potting media and compared to other media amendments, bentonite and rock powder:

  • H2OLD ® increased the fresh weight of tomato plantlets
  • H2OLD ® performed better than the other soil amendments across all variables.

Plantlets treated with H2OLD ® (left) were healthier and more vigorous than the untreated plantlets (right)

FBIL results  FBIL results 2

Reference:
Koller, M., and T. Alfoldi. 2002. Effects of H2OLD ® on the production of transplants: final results. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Frick, Switzerland. 4 pp