At its factory in Carmona, Seville, BRANDT Europe has developed a technology that increases the production of zucchini (Victoria variety) by 1 to 2 kg per m2. The goal of the trial, conducted in Ruescas (Almeria) at a greenhouse farm with 10,000 m2 and 5,000 plants, was threefold: to significantly increase production, to increase the rate of fruit set compared to the control and to observe the growth of the plant compared to the control, analysing the separation of internodes. The newspaper “ABC” reported on these trials inthis article.
After four rounds of treatment, once a week, with a combination of two biostimulants developed in Carmona, BRANDT InVigo at 0.5 cc/l and BRANDT Plant Start at 2 cc/l, the treated zucchini lines registered an average increase in the number of fruits at each harvest of approximately 6 kg/line with respect to the untreated lines, representing an average increase in total production of between 1 and 2 kg per square meter. There were even maximum differences per line of up to almost 10 kilograms, with one producing a harvest of 4.5 boxes of approximately 6.2 kg each (27.9 kg), compared to the 3 boxes of the untreated line (18.6 kg).
Furthermore, the treated line produced a higher number of stronger female flowers than the untreated area, which were more vigorous and longer than the untreated ones. However, there was no increase in the distance between internodes, resulting in a higher number of zucchini fruits harvested per plant. Another interesting finding of this trial is that there was no increase in the levels of fungal diseases or pests after the treatments compared to the untreated control.
This increase in production is especially significant for the zucchini market, of which 361.91 thousand tons were exported from Spain in 2018, with a value of 311 million euros, mainly to France (116.16 thousand tons), Germany (82.41 thousand tons), the United Kingdom (40.53 thousand tons) and the Netherlands (more than 39.71 tons), with Almeria being the main producer in all of Spain.
Brandt InVigo is a biostimulant that maintains optimal levels of proline and glutathione in the plant, used as reinforcing factors against different types of stress such as frost, temperature changes, saline stress and saline solution. It improves root development, accelerates the formation of the vegetative structure, increases fertilization and the rate of fruit set, improves cell division, reduces fruit drop and, ultimately, increases the final size. Brandt Plant Start, formulated with seaweed and recommended for transplanting, enables rapid root multiplication and the product’s high phosphorus content helps them grow quickly and strongly. The seaweed also provides the crop with natural protection, facilitating the absorption of mineral elements and making it more resistant to frost and pests.
