- Fertiliser has traditionally been applied to the soil, and plants obtained nutrients from the soil via their roots.
- Previous research has shown that foliar nutrition can work in tandem with soil fertilisation, or even replace it.
- This work looked at four liquid fertilisers: Albina containing calcium; Indra that promotes antioxidant production and contains nutrients to enable their production; Lono K containing nitrogen and potassium; and Lono Plus containing nitrogen and calcium (all products Levity Crop Science, UK).
- Albina and Indra were applied at 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.25 l/ha for three applications; Lono K and Lono Plus were applied at 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 l/ha for five applications.
- Stem length and diameter; number of stems and flowers; weight of stems; shelf life; and cost benefit were recorded and calculated.
- All products at all application rates gave significant improvements over the grower standard edaphic fertilisation (EF) program.
- Considering the return on investment of applying the products, the 1 l/ha Albina, 0.75 l/ha Indra and 1.5 l/ha Lono K and Lono Plus application rates were the best.
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