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Copy link Combined biostimulants
St Andrews, Scotland 1970
Key Conclusions
The trial demonstrated the benefits of an H2Pro TriSmart programme on moisture levels and turf quality.
Furthermore, tank mixing H2Pro TriSmart with Vitalnova SMX provided improvements to Turf Quality Scores both earlier and later in the season compared to a wetting agent only programme.
Applications of both products in a programme could provide enhanced turf quality running up to, during and after peak summer stress in golf green turf. In addition, both H2Pro TriSmart and Vitalnova SMX can increase the microbial biomass in the rootzone.
Objective
The primary goal of this trial was to demonstrate the effectiveness of H2Pro TriSmart in enhancing soil moisture levels and reducing turf stress on a UK links site. Additionally, we aimed to assess whether incorporating Vitalnova SMX into a wetting agent programme further improves turf quality.
Trial Details
Trial station
St Andrews, Scotland
Assessments
VMC, NDVI, visual turf quality scores, PLFA analysis
Treatments
The replicated, randomised block design trial was carried out on a Festuca spp.-dominant turf nursery with a sandy rootzone, maintained to golf green standards and located at St Andrews Links in 2022
Nutrition and irrigation as per standard practice for the site was applied. The trial consisted of 1m2 plots with treatments arranged in a randomised block design with 5 replicates per treatment.
Applications were applied at approximately 28-day intervals with a total of seven applications from early March. Untreated plots received no wetting agent or biostimulant applications.
The H2Pro TriSmart treated plots saw an initial rate of 25L/ha followed by monthly rates of 10L/ha. The H2Pro TriSmart + Vitalnova SMX tank-mix treated plots had the same rates of H2Pro TriSmart but tank mixed with Vitalnova SMX at 10L/ha.
‘Combined biostimulants’ trial plots
Assessments were carried out on a fortnightly period which included VMC using a Field Scout TDR 350, NDVI using a Greenseeker Handheld active NDVI unit as well as Visual Turf Quality Scores.
At the end of the trial, cores were taken to a depth of 11cm and sent to Eurofins Agro Testing UK for PLFA analysis via their Soil Life Monitor Service.
Treatments
The replicated, randomised block design trial was carried out on a Festuca spp.-dominant turf nursery with a sandy rootzone, maintained to golf green standards and located at St Andrews Links in 2022
Nutrition and irrigation as per standard practice for the site was applied. The trial consisted of 1m2 plots with treatments arranged in a randomised block design with 5 replicates per treatment.
Applications were applied at approximately 28-day intervals with a total of seven applications from early March. Untreated plots received no wetting agent or biostimulant applications.
The H2Pro TriSmart treated plots saw an initial rate of 25L/ha followed by monthly rates of 10L/ha. The H2Pro TriSmart + Vitalnova SMX tank-mix treated plots had the same rates of H2Pro TriSmart but tank mixed with Vitalnova SMX at 10L/ha.
‘Combined biostimulants’ trial plots
Assessments were carried out on a fortnightly period which included VMC using a Field Scout TDR 350, NDVI using a Greenseeker Handheld active NDVI unit as well as Visual Turf Quality Scores.
At the end of the trial, cores were taken to a depth of 11cm and sent to Eurofins Agro Testing UK for PLFA analysis via their Soil Life Monitor Service.
Results
Consistent treatment effects from H2Pro TriSmart applications on % VMC in the rootzone were seen from late May onwards (Figure 1). The greatest moisture benefits of the H2Pro TriSmart programme were seen in June and August with increases of 7 and 8 VMC % points.
These improvements resulted in significantly greater Turf Quality Scores for the H2Pro TriSmart-treatments (Figure 2) throughout the Summer months with increases consistently between scores of 1 and 2.
Tank-mixing Vitalnova SMX with H2Pro TriSmart did not affect the % VMC compared to H2Pro TriSmart only applications but there were benefits in Visual Turf Quality Score.
Plots treated with the H2Pro TriSmart + Vitalnova SMX tank-mix had significantly greater Turf Quality Scores vs. untreated plots both earlier and later in the season compared to plots treated with H2Pro TriSmart only as highlighted by the areas in blue in Figure 2. From May 30th until August 17th, H2Pro TriSmart drove the benefits in Turf Quality Score.
PLFA microbial analysis of rootzone cores taken at the end of the trial revealed significant increases in total, fungal and bacterial biomass in plots treated with H2Pro TriSmart compared to untreated (Table 1). The addition of Vitalnova SMX saw further increases in total and fungal biomass as well as increased microbial (PLFA) diversity (Table 1).
Summary:
- The H2Pro TriSmart programme significantly increased % VMC at depths of 0-3.8cm and 0–7.6cm as well as Turf Quality Score and NDVI
- Tank-mixing Vitalnova SMX with H2Pro TriSmart did not affect VMC but did significantly enhance Turf Quality Score over the untreated plots both earlier and later in the season compared to H2Pro TriSmart only
- H2Pro TriSmart applications significantly increased bacterial, fungal and total microbial biomass in the rootzone compared to the untreated plots
- Vitalnova SMX applications increased fungal, total microbial biomass and microbial species diversity compared to H2Pro TriSmart only
