Continued improvements in the nutritional value of swards where Plocher products are applied

Kingshay Farming Trust, Somerset repeated research into the performance of PLOCHER™ products on grass leys in 2008. "Grass quality tended to be higher where PLOCHER products were used in both 2007 and 2008," reports the conclusion.

Triple replicate comparisons were repeated on a sward of perennial ryegrass with white clover. Use of Plocher Soil Activator and PlantDO was compared with, and without, industry-standard applications of Ammonium Nitrate.

Fresh Yield was lower where PLOCHER products were applied compared to plots where Ammonium Nitrate was applied, yet Dry Matter Yield was marginally better indicating that excess water does not bulk out the grass. Where PLOCHER products were applied, Dry Matter was on average 3.5% higher than where Ammonium Nitrate was applied alone. Plots treated with PLOCHER products alone had higher sugar levels at both 1st and 2nd cut as well as a higher D value at 2nd cut.

In August, soil and forage samples were taken from the plots for analysis.

In plots treated with PLOCHER-only, a 73% increase in microbial activity was measured in the soil, with a 10% increase in magnesium, 16% rise in iron, 5.6% improvement in selenium levels and boron was 145% higher compared with plots receiving Ammonium Nitrate only. In plots which were treated with both PLOCHER and Ammonium Nitrate, microbial activity was 68% higher, than Ammonium Nitrate only plots, with a 13% rise in iron, 5.6% improvement in selenium levels and boron was 118% better.

Forage analysis showed a 49% increase in calcium, 33% improvement in magnesium, 32.5% rise in cobalt, and 68% more iodine in forage from PLOCHER-only treated plots compared with plots where only Ammonium Nitrate was applied. Compared with plots receiving both PLOCHER products and Ammonium Nitrate, there was a 24.6% increase in calcium, 20% improvement in magnesium, 22% increase in chloride, 12.5% rise in cobalt, 16% more copper, and 30% more iodine

On assessing samples of soil visually, Charlotte Wilson of Swift Nature said, ’it was clear that increased microbial and worm activity in soil samples stimulated by PLOCHER products, which had opened up the soil and released an improved balance of essential nutrients."

Alwyn Humphreys confirms, "It is clear that PLOCHER products offer significant improvements in crucial dietary requirements, particularly calcium, magnesium and cobalt. Dairy cows require a minimum of 0.85% calcium in their total diet, and PLOCHER products have increased calcium levels from 0.65% where Ammonium Nitrate was applied to 0.97%. Cobalt is an integral part of vitamin B production, so the 32.5% increase in this element is important. The Crude Protein levels are surprising, and I would like to see what proportion of the Crude Protein levels are nitrate, because more than 100ppm in feed is detrimental to the cows health."

Charlotte Wilson comments, "As well as improving the nutritional value of the sward, PLOCHER products increase oxygen levels at the roots. This increases aerobic microbial levels in soils, as shown in the soil analysis, but also reduces the prevalence of germs such as clostridium and e-coli so that forages become more hygienic. As soils become tighter and more compacted with the use of fertilisers, and now that soils are so waterlogged, anaerobic soil conditions are a real problem. PLOCHER products reverse anaerobic conditions more quickly than is possible in Nature alone, and as a result, helps to reverse the fortunes of farmland suffering at the moment."

She continues, "The health of your soil has a direct impact on the forage quality, which in turn, affects the health of your cows. Clearly, this impacts profitability enormously."

When asked about the products in comparison to the various biological products on the market Charlotte states, "PLOCHER products are fundamentally different to these products. Instead of adding chemistry or bacteria and bugs to soils, manures and slurries, PLOCHER products change the environment of what is being treated by supplying oxygen and essential minerals and elements. This means that the beneficial microbes which are already dormant in soils begin to thrive and multiply at an optimal rate. In addition, Plocher’s Foliar Products stimulate photosynthesis and plant growth and strength. They are really just stimulating nature’s own processes."