AMALGEROL ESSENCE has demonstrated its effectiveness under reduced nitrogen fertilization in cabbage production, based on field trials conducted in Hungary

The trial was conducted by SynTech Research in 2022 in Hungary for the goal to evaluate the efficacy of AMALGEROL ESSENCE (AME) in open field cabbage production, abd compare reduced nitrogen fertilization rates in combination with AMALGEROL ESSENCE and/or the microbiological product CB22051 with the standard local nitrogen fertilization rate. The trial site was a typical cabbage-growing region in Hungary where the trial site was part of a commercial operation, followed local agricultural practices, and crop growth conditions were as expected.

Despite slightly cool spring and very dry summer weather conditions, all applications occurred under normal weather conditions. The field trial was conducted within GEP guidelines and the experiement was set up in a Non-Randomized complete Block design, with six replications. The treatments included a standard 100% nitrogen fertilization rate, a reduced 50% nitrogen rate, and the reduced rate supplemented with AMALGEROL ESSENCE (3 L/ha), CB22051 (100 g/ha), or a combination of both. The products were applied as foliar sprays on three separate occasions: July 20, August 10, and August 31, 2022.

Throughout the trial, no phytotoxicity was observed in any of the treatments. All plants, including those treated with AMALGEROL ESSENCE showed good crop vigor, comparable to the standard fertilization controls.

The assessments for this trial included plant vigor, yield (fresh weight), and nutrient content (nitrate, nitrite, calcium, phosphor, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc).

Using only 50% of the standard nitrogen fertilization, AME increased fresh weight by about 7%, while CB22051 increased yield by up to 3%. Although these differences were not statistically significant, it is noteworthy that the results with AME were comparable to the cabbage yield in plots treated with 100% nitrogen fertilization.

A statistically significant difference was observed in nitrate content between the standard local nitrogen fertilization rate (100%) and the reduced local nitrogen fertilization rate (50%) when using the test products AME and CB22051. Standard Nitrogen Fertilization (100%) provided the highest nitrate content, measuring 465 mg/kg. A reduced nitrogen fertilization (50%) with test products resulted in a significantly lower nitrate content (AME: 234 mg/kg, CB22051: 289 mg/kg, AME+CB22051: 344 mg/kg) compared to the standard nitrogen fertilization rate.

In conclusion, the use of AMALGEROL ESSENCE presents a viable strategy for growers to reduce nitrogen fertilizer inputs without sacrificing yield, while simultaneously improving the market quality and safety of the final product.