This trial was designed to determine the effectiveness of 6 EM treatment variations, against a control on Maize, at Ashcroft Farm at Carew. The yield as evaluated by picking all the cobs over a set distance (10 metres).
Method and Materials
- History of paddock: ex kale
- Plot size and layout: See table 1
- Maize variety: Pioneer…
- Sowing date: 25/10/14
- Date of product applications; All products, 2/12/14 and repeated on 3/2/15 (flowering)
- Trial Design: Treatments= 7, Replicates= 4 see Table 1
- Plot Size : 10 metres long by 0.5 metres wide (1 row) equalling, 5 m2,
- Harvest Date: 20/4/15
- Harvest Method: 5 metre row lengths were harvested per plot (just cobs). The plots were harvested as numbered plots, with no reference to treatments (blind approach).
- Data Analysis: Independent data analysis was carried out by Dr Tim Jenkins
Summary
The aim of this trial was to test EM on Maize yield, and in particular compare a number of variations of EM, including some combinations with Nitrogen.
- EM gave a significant and economic yield response when applied to a Maize Crop
- EM-RTU, our standard recommended product for this application, was the best performing treatment.
- The variation of EM, (EMN-RTU) which included some N in the manufacturing process, did not perform better than our standard product EM-RTU.
- EMN-RTU with a half rate of Nitrogen, performed better than a full rate of Nitrogen not containing EM.
Results
Yields are expressed as fresh weight.
Ashcroft Farm Maize Trial 2015: Total cob wt per plot. Effect of EM treatments with and without molasses plus the effect of EM with a half rate of N compared to a full rate.
EM-RTU and EM-RTU plus molasses were similar and both significantly better for yield than the control ( 5%). The inclusion of molasses gave a slight lift when it was added to EM-RTU and EMN-RTU (not significant). Combining EM with a half rate of Nitrogen appeared to be very successful and in fact was better than a full rate of Nitrogen.
Weakly Significant at 5%, P=0.0508
Ashcroft Farm Maize Trial 2015: Total cob wt. Effect of combined EM treatments (not N treatments) compared to untreated control
When we combine the EM treatments (excluding the Nitrogen treatments) and compare these to the control we find we get a significant increase in yield over control. Overall a very positive result, demonstrating that EM can significantly increase the yield of Maize.
Significant at 5% level, P=0.033
Ashcroft Farm Maize Trial 2015: Total cob wt. Effect of Nitrogen with, or without EM compared to untreated control (tonnes/ha)
By looking at the Nitrogen treatments in isolation we can see some trends more clearly. Nitrogen did give a slight increase in yield over the untreated control. EM combined with Nitrogen at half rate (23kgN/ha cp 46 kgN/ha) was as good as or slightly better than the high rate of N (46). We can’t draw conclusions in this particular comparison as; we did not compare all combinations of the N with EM. This comparison needs to be repeated in more detail.
Economics
The cost of 2 applications of EM was about $100. The extra yield of Cobs amounted to 1.8 tonnes/ha (cob portion only). The value of maize is 20 cents/kg. EM increased Cob yield by an extra 1800kg/ha. The value of this extra yield is $360/ha, less cost of input ($100), leaving a profit of $260 per ha. We can assume this yield increase is actually greater than this, as this yield, does not take into account the non-cob parts of the plant, which were not measured in this trial. Therefore the use of EM-RTU on Maize has shown to be a very positive input, with a high margin of economic return.
For more detailed information download the full trial sheet.
