EMNZ Lucerne Trial

This replicated lucerne trial conducted in Canterbury was designed to evaluate the impact of Plant-Stim® on crop productivity and regrowth across two harvest cuts. Plant-Stim® significantly increased early-season growth, improved regrowth between cuts, and delivered a substantial increase in total seasonal production. Across both harvests, treated lucerne produced 15.45 t/ha of green matter compared with 10.62 t/ha in the untreated control — an increase of 4.8 t/ha (+45.4%). These results demonstrate Plant-Stim's ability to enhance crop vigour, nutrient uptake and feed production under commercial growing conditions.

Statistical Analysis

The trial utilised four replicated plots per treatment and was analysed using ANOVA and Least Significant Difference (LSD) testing. The yield increase recorded in the first harvest exceeded the LSD value and was statistically significant at the 5% level. When both harvests were analysed together, ANOVA confirmed a significant treatment effect (P < 0.05), demonstrating that Plant-Stim consistently improved lucerne production across the season.

Economics

Plant-Stim generated an additional 4.8 tonnes of lucerne green matter per hectare over two cuts. For livestock producers, this equates to substantially more high-quality forage available for grazing, silage or baleage production without increasing land area. The strong early-season response is particularly valuable for improving feed supply during periods of high demand.