Environmentally friendly biostimulants for plant growth.

Purpose and goal:

This project aimed to develop an eco-friendly plant nutrition product with an unique nutrient release profile for use in e.g. forest nurseries. Arevo wants to enable growers to safely supply nutrients early in the cultivation cycle, which proceeds clear benefits in the form of reduced nutrient leakage and increased plant yield during cultivation. Our new biostimulant is mainly based on the amino acid arginine, polyphosphates and iron, a complex that provides unique properties for long-term plant nutrition.

Expected results and effects:

Arevo has produced and tested various variants of a slow-release biostimulant adapted for tree nurseries. Those variants differ in technical production variations, in slight variations of chemical composition, and the overall production quantity. We have gained good knowledge of how changing individual production steps influence e.g. the yield or the chemical composition of the product and how different variants affect plant growth.

This (technical) know-how allowed us to scale up production of chosen variants from just a few milliliter in laboratory settings to a larger volume. Approach and implementation: The project has been implemented in three individual steps: 1.) Optimisation of the production protocol First test-batches of the biostimulant were generated and used for quality control as well as chemical analysis.

2.) Product testing on conifer seeds and seedlings

In-house product testing was performed on Scots pine and Norway spruce, to analyze germination rates. Also, early growth and vigor of seedlings was be observed. 3.) External testing

External tests were performed at plant nurseries. The products were tested for compatibility with standard nursery operations.