The microbes in EM will solubilise compounds both organic and inorganic that are largely unavailable to plants and make them available for uptake by the plants root system allowing the plant to put more energy into growth. In performing this important function the Microbes create a more efficient use of added nutrients, generating a better growth response from fertiliser inputs.
The microbes in EM also stimulate Mycorrhizae and Trichoderma further enhancing nutrient uptake and the plants root system.
EM works effectively with most fertiliser types.
Fertiliser Compatibility Trials
These are a series of pot trials that were undertaken to evaluate the performance of EM with fertiliser varieties. The trials include:
- Guano and Humate Urea on Barley with EM
- Guano on Triticale with EM and EM Dry
- Humate Urea on Triticale with EM
- Urea and Ammonium Nitrate Solution (UAN) on Triticale with EM
- PKS Blend with EM Dry
- NPKS Blend with EM Dry
Guano and Humate Urea on Barley
This trial showed that using EM increased yield (barley height) by over 20% on both treatments when compared to the fertiliser treatments alone. The Humate Urea and EM treatment outperformed all of the other treatments.
Guano on Triticale
This trial showed that when using any EM in conjunction with Guano on triticale there is a significant increase in yield (Dry Weight).
Humate Urea on Triticale
In this trial using EM alongside the Humate Urea treatment showed a 17% increase in yield (dry weight) on Triticale.
EM was the best performing treatment with nearly 50% increase in yield on the guano control. EM Dry didn’t perform as highly but still showed a significant upgrade on the guano control.
UAN Trial on Triticale
This trial with UAN again on Triticale shows that using EM alongside UAN gives a yield increase. When using with 1% EM the yield increase was 4% but when using 5% EM the increase was 21%.
PKS Blend with EM Dry
This Trial was conducted by Mike Daly at Lincoln University (Nov-Jan 2014), with guidance from Dr Tim Jenkins. The trial had 10 replicates, and was maintained and harvested by technician, Dr Sonya Olykan (BHU, Lincoln University), and the data analysed by Dr Tim Jenkins.
The test crop was triticale. The results showed that EM Dry gave a statistically significant increase in yield (5% significance). In treatment (Fert Mix) 1 we saw a 13 % increase on the treatments that used EM Dry with 10kg per ha slightly out performing 5kg per ha.
NPKS Blend with EM Dry
In the treatment (Fert mix) 2 we saw both EM Dry treatments significantly outperform the control with 5kg per ha showing a 6% increase in yield and 10kg per ha showing an impressive 14kg per ha.
