Texas-based Verano365 has launched a new adjuvant that improves fertiliser efficiency, benefitting greenhouse growers’ return on investments in applied nutrient inputs. Evofactor uses the company’s proprietary technology, OpusMAX, to promote nutrient availability to plants when it is used with water-soluble fertilisers as part of a regular fertigation schedule.
OpusMAX is a first-of-its-kind delivery system that is anchored by a charged particle, according to the company. This particle has an attraction force that acts as a host or carrier, which facilitates the self-assembly of supramolecular structures. When OpusMAX localises active chemical or biological molecules into these structures, the impacts are gains in efficiency and increased probability of uptake and/or usage.
Hence by blending Evofactor with their fertiliser, growers can choose the outcome that’s most valuable to their operation: either a reduction in the amount of applied fertiliser to yield plants of equitable size and health to what they’re producing today; or, increased biomass in crops that receive the same fertiliser rate they’re using currently. Both outcomes result from Evofactor’s ability to make plant nutrition solutions more readily available through localisation. OpusMAX creates supramolecular structures of the active ingredients in fertilisers, ultimately delivering highly concentrated nutrients to the plant.
Data from Verano365’s internal testing and third-party trials, with tissue analysis conducted by A&L Laboratories, shows that Evofactor results in increased nutrient assimilation in plants. Uptake rates of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium saw a significant uptick in the studies.
“Evofactor can meet a grower where they are with increased nutrient assimilation,” said David Coorts, technical director at Verano365. “With more nutrients available to the plant, a grower can expect to see increased biomass with their current fertilization program when Evofactor is introduced. Or, if a grower wants to decrease the amount of fertiliser in their operation, the increased nutrient assimilation will allow for that—letting them reduce the applied fertiliser by a corresponding amount, which could be up to 50%.”
A single case (five gallons) of Evofactor could replace up to 750 lbs (30 x 25 lb bags) of water-soluble fertiliser. A single pallet (180 gallons) of Evofactor could replace up to 28,000 lbs (14 pallets) of water-soluble fertiliser.
“Horticultural growers in the US spend close to US$400 million per year on fertilisers—a large part of a grower’s budget,” said Herbert Rabalais, account director of Verano365. “Unfortunately, due to many factors, a significant amount of fertiliser is never assimilated into the plant. Evofactor allows growers to drive more uptake of a fertiliser’s nutrients into the plant, giving them an opportunity to use fertilisers more efficiently, creating a positive impact on a grower’s bottom line and the environment.”
Patent-pending Evofactor is the third product release from the Texas-based start-up in the last 12 months utilising OpusMax to increase the efficacy of horticultural inputs. To read more from a recent Evofactor trial, see here.
