An independent report with statistical significance has demonstrated the effectiveness on tomato crops of AlgaEnergy’s microalgae based biostimulants, AgriAlgae®.

The prestigious agronomical research center iMiDRA (Institute for Rural and Agricultural Research and Development of Madrid) concludes that the results of using AgriAlgae® -AlgaEnergy’s microalgae based agricultural biostimulants- in maximizing yields and quality, are exceeding the ones obtained by the other commonly used biostimulants of reference.

The field trials, designed with statistical significance and carried out by iMiDRA at their Experimental Farm “La Isla” (Madrid), compare the effects provided by AgriAlgae® applied on tomato with the ones provided by other biostimulant products derived from animal based amino acids and from seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum), as well as with a control treatment in (same conditions but without any biostimulant application). The study shows how the tomato plants treated with AgriAlgae® improve their performance significantly in terms of commercial production, first quality production and losses due to non-marketable production. It also confirms the excellent results obtained by AgriAlgae® in terms of organoleptic properties, as increasingly demanded by the market.

Increasing tomato yields

One of the most significant findings extracted from the report issued by iMiDRA shows how in the plots treated with AgriAlgae®, the commercial production was considerably higher, reaching 18.2% more commercial production compared to the second-best treatment. In the same way, of particular relevance are also the findings regarding first quality production, since, although all biostimulant treatments increased the first quality production, this increase was especially significant in the plots treated with AgriAlgae®. In fact, the first quality production obtained with AgriAlgae® was 21.1% more compared to the second-best biostimulant treatment.

These results confirm once again the effectiveness of the microalgae based biostimulants AgriAlgae®, in this case on tomato. In relation to the data obtained, Carlos Rodríguez-Villa, AlgaEnergy’s General Manager, assessed that “as numerous field trials carried out in tomato previously, this independent study, supports with statistical significance that AgriAlgae® is very effective in a quite strategic crop. The market of fresh tomato is complex and global, and the producers need to implement measures to increase their competitiveness. These results acknowledge that AlgaEnergy is in a privileged position to offer to them an innovative, sustainable and, above all, very effective solution towards maximizing their productive yields, but also its commercial value".

Reducing the losses due to non-marketable production

Especially significant are the findings obtained in relation to the reduction of production losses due to non-marketable production. The results concluded that the plots treated with AgriAlgae® reduced the number of discarded tomatoes in a 22.5% compared to the second-best treatment. Although this decrease of non-marketable production was evident in all discards categories, it was especially relevant in reducing losses caused by three different reasons: small caliber, cracked tomatoes and apical rot.

Higher quality and better organoleptic properties

iMiDRA’s field trials also show excellent results obtained by AgriAlgae® in terms of qualitative traits. On the one hand, the optimal development experienced by the crop throughout the whole cycle resulted in a higher fruit caliber. This is a qualitative parameter of great importance as it is a symptom of an increased commercial value derived from the AgriAlgae® treatment.

On the other hand, in a blind tasting carried out by a panel comprised by hundred consumers, the tomatoes harvested from the plots treated with AgriAlgae® obtained the best score compared to the other treatments. The blind tasting included aspects such as sweetness, firmness or hardness of the skin, as well as overall appreciation.