ERGOFITO TESTING RANGE AT PEARL VALLEY GOLF ESTATES 15/1/2009 – 15/1/2010
INTRODUCTION It has been well documented that the systematic depletion of soil through the use of chemical fertilizers is a problem of global proportion. Whether it be a golf course or agricultural land the balancing act of a chemical fertilizer programme is fundamentally unsustainable. and the switch to an ecological solution in harmony with the soil is now not a consideration but an inevitability. Soil in its natural state is an amazing entity designed to support and sustain plant growth. Just like all other living things soil needs to breathe atmospheric oxygen, digest natural nutrients and process waste materials in a healthy and complete manner. Micro and Macro organisms are the living, moving life blood of soil which aid in these processes. The use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other toxic substances on soil for extended periods of time will cause these organisms to go dormant. As a result soil structure lacks oxygen and becomes anaerobic with the balanced uptake of soil nutrients by plants being compromised. The inherent philosophy of agriculture and turf maintenance has been to look from the plant up and we are now left with no choice but to look from root down. In recent years a multitude of products have been launched claiming ‘biological’ alternatives, some with merit and others without. Truth be told there are many variables contributing to the success of a particular product including soil composition and plant type. Case Studies provide valuable insight but the merits of a product are best measured under the specific growing conditions on a case by case basis. i.e. the proof is in the pudding. Over the last 15 years Italian Soil Scientists in San Marino, Italy have formulated a bacterial culture through extensive laboratory and field tests. This culture is known as MICROMIX and forms the base culture for the ERGOFITO range. ERGOFITO CU ZN is a soil growth medium specifically designed to increase the microbial content of the soil . In so doing the soil produces a much more resilient turf resulting in decreased fertilizer utilization. ERGOFITO has a universal application as far as the chemical composition of soils is concerned. Naturally results are more visible in poorer soil types. The product has made remarkable advances in agriculture in recent years including programmes in Europe and South America. Recent success in the Italian Fruit Industry has sparked interest in Europe and programmes are being formulated with various agricultural institutions and governing bodies. The BEA range of products are being mixed and successfully applied to various agricultural and turf scenarios within South Africa. At the forefront of the range in South Africa will be ERGOFITO CU/ZN (Turf Maintenance) and ERGOSTART BIO (Agriculture). Additional products for waste management and water purification will also be produced locally. Initial feedback from South African Fruit and Wine Tests has been extremely encouraging with a marked reduction in the presence of certain pests including Nematodes. The ultimate success of any product lies in its ability to provide successful economic and environmental sustainability whilst not compromising on plant performance. In ERGOFITO we have one such product.
PEARL VALLEY RANGE TEST Initial turf testing in South Africa was carried out at the Range Facility at Pearl Valley. This was done through Control Site (Pearl Valley 1) and Test Site (Pearl Valley 2). Initial tests carried out by BEMLAB in January 2009 indicated no fundamental differences between soil conditions in the Control and Test Sites as indicated below. Report No.: GR2828/2009 Date received: 27/01/2009 Date tested: 04/02/2009 If the pH > 7.0 the Olsen method(S13) is used to determine P. If the pH > 6.5 the Walkley-Black method(S08) is used to determine Carbon. #Refer to BemLab work instructions - Accredited methods identified by reference number Sample conditions Samples in good condition.
Orchard
Lab. Depth Soil No.
(cm)
H+
pH Resist.
Stone P Bray II K
(KCl) (Ohm) (cmol/kg) (Vol %)
Exchangeable cations (cmol(+)/kg)
mg/kg
Na
K
Pearl Valley 1 2828
Sand 5.7
1850
0.45
1
19
75
0.15
0.19
Pearl Valley 2 2829
Sand 5.7
1490
0.25
1
31
39
0.07
0.10
S05
S04
S09
S12
S15
S15
S15
Methods#
Orchard
Lab.
Na
K
Ca
Mg
T-Value
No.
No.
%
%
%
%
cmol/kg
Pearl Valley 1
2828
4.48
5.70
53.25
23.17
3.36
Pearl Valley 2
2829
4.09
6.15
54.52
19.71
1.61
Ca
Mg
Cu
Zn Mn mg/kg
B
C %
0.78
0.66 0.5 1.5 0.13 0.62
0.88
0.32
0.14 0.3 0.6 0.14 0.35
S15
S15
S16 S16 S16 S10 S08
HEALTHY TURF GRASS and THATCH CONTROL. Thatch is a tightly intermingled layer of living and dead stems, leaves and roots which accumulates between the layer of actively-growing grass and the soil underneath. A healthy thatch layer is an integral component of healthy turf grass. As long as the thatch is not too thick it can increase the resilience of the turf to heavy traffic. Thatch however, develops more readily on high-maintenance turf, excessive fertilization and irrigation forces turf to grow more quickly than micro-organisms can break it down. This will limit the oxygen in the soil and restrict the movement of air, water, fertilizer and other materials to the roots. The resultant air and water impervious layer will cause grass rooting to be restricted to the thatch layer and hence reduces drought resistance in the turf. Optimal Thatch Layer Balance is best achieved as nature intended with high levels of microbial activity ensuring a continual and balanced breakdown of thatch material . Ergofito is one such way of stimulating microbial activity keeping ideal thatch layer density and composition. SOIL AND ROOT EXAMINATION CONTROL SITE: PEARL VALLEY 1 (sample 1a) 21/01/2009 • A fairly reasonable thatch layer of 2,1 cm was evident. • root length of approx 5 – 7 cm. • thatch layer composition – healthy. • turf in excellent condition 21/01/2009
25/01/2010 • thatch layer increased to 2,5 cm. • root length had improved to between 7 – 8 cm. • thatch layer composition – similar to above. • turf in excellent condition. 25/01/2010
SOIL AND ROOT EXAMINATION TESTSITE: PEARL VALLEY 2 (sample 2a) 21/01/2009 • thatch layer was between 1,5 – 1,8 cm • root length of approx 4 -5 cm. Root activity was limited with sparse penetration. • thatch layer composition poor. Sandy texture . • turf in poor condition 25/01/2010 • thatch layer improvement to between 2,1 – 2,4 cm • root length had improved to between 7 – 8 cm. • clear improvement in thatch layer composition . • considerable improvement in turf condition.
TESTSITE: PEARL VALLEY 2 (sample 2b) 21/01/2009 • thatch layer of approx. 2 cm with reasonable organic matter. • root length of approx 4 -5 cm. Root activity was limited with sparse penetration. • turf in good condition 25/01/2010 • thatch layer composition had improved to approx. 3,4 cm with increased ‘organic matter’ • slight improvement in root length to approx. 6 cm. • turf in good condition.
REGROWTH OF MARGINAL AREA: PEARL VALLEY 2 (TEST SITE) FIG 1.
FIG 2.
Sparse turf conditions were present within an area of the Test Site. This area measured approx 7m x 5m and was situated on a moderate incline. A sandy soil texture was present with limited quality in thatch layer composition. Through the first 3 months after the Ergofito application the turf quality steadily improved.
The area improved steadily through the first 3 months of application to such an extent that it matched the overall high turf quality of on the range. The thatch layer had improved in thickness and composition as per the soil and root composition illustrated in sample 2a above.
fig. 1
fig. 2
COST AND APPLICATION COMPARISON: PEARL VALLEY 1 and PEARL VALLEY 2 PEARL VALLEY 1 APPLICATION RATES • • • • • •
12/12/08 – Andersons at a rate of 20g/sqm. Cost /HA - R 2,280 16/02/09 - Andersons at a rate of 20g/sqm. Cost /HA - R 2,280 11/05/09 – Andersons at a rate of 20g/sqm. Cost /HA - R 2,280 31/08/09 – Turbo 31 (10:1:5) at a rate of 30g/sqm. Cost /HA - R1,402 12/12/09 - Turbo 31 (10:1:5) at a rate of 30g/sqm. Cost/HA – R1,402 06/01/09 – Turbo 31 (10:1:5) at a rate of 30g/sqm. Cost /HA - R1402
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TOTAL COST PER HECTRE R 11,046 (YEAR 1) PEARL VALLEY 2 APPLICATION RATES
• • • •
25/01/09 – ERGOFITO BOOSTER at a rate of 400L/HA. Cost/HA – R6,080 05/07/09 - ERGOFITO MAINTANENCE at a rate of 36L/HA. Cost/HA – R 3,309 12/12/09 - Turbo 31 (10:1:5) at a rate of 30g/sqm. Cost/HA – R1,402 06/01/09 – Turbo 31 (10:1:5) at a rate of 30g/sqm. Cost /HA - R1402
•
TOTAL COST PER HECTRE R 12,193 (YEAR 1)
•
As illustrated above there was a marginal difference between the annual cost/HA of the Test Site and Control Sites. This is in keeping with the cost structure for ERGOFITO in year 1. The scenario changes considerably in Year 2 and subsequent years as only the Ergofito Supplementary Application (R5,460/HA) is required along with reduced levels of chemical fertilizer. The estimated TOTAL COST PER HECTRE will be R7,000 per annum which is a considerable saving when compared to most chemical programmes. This same saving was found within Agricultural Testing in Europe. Turf Maintenance Costing remains a very relative subject with much dependant on the inherent turf maintenance philosophy of the Superintendent. Chemical Programmes that are well managed have produced good results in turf maintenance however, one does not need to listen to the many scientific warnings to appreciate the fact that chemical programmes are damaging the essential microbial activity and the long term health of the soil. ERGOFITO provides a quality biological solution to this environmental and economic dilemma.
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APPLICATTION RATES AND COSTINGS
•
YEAR 1
•
APPLICATION 1 : ERGOFITO BOOST MIX GOLF
• • • • •
4 applications every 5 days. (100 LITRES x 4 ) mixed with water and sprayed. application through FERTIGATION is possible but not recommended. application should be in morning/evening to avoid sunlight/heat irrigate as normal
•
Cost R6,064/HA
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APPLICATION 2 : ERGOFITO MAINTANENCE MIX GOLF
• • • •
Prescribed application: 60kg/ha mixed with water and sprayed. Application should be in morning/evening to avoid sunlight/heat Irrigate as normal
•
Cost R3,309/HA
•
TOTAL COST YEAR 1: R 9,373/HA per annum
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YEAR 2 AND ONWARDS
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APPLICATION 1 : ERGOFITO MAINTANENCE MIX GOLF
• • • • •
Application when necessary. ERGOFITO BOOST MIX GOLF should be mixed with water and sprayed. Application through FERTIGATION is possible but not recommended. Application should be in morning/evening to avoid sunlight/heat Irrigate as normal
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TOTAL COST YEAR 2 AND ONWARDS : R6,064/HA per annum