The Dirt M.D. team is excited to announce the completion of our first strawberry field trial. While we have been selling Dirt M.D. to strawberry growers for over a year, this is the first time we have been able to collect detailed data on the results. A special thanks goes out to Jonathan Swift at Eastwood Berries Inc for hosting the trial and collecting the yield numbers for us.
(Click image to view PDF)
Text from report to increase accessibility
Introduction
Dirt M.D. is an activated, liquid 4.5% humic product that increases micronutrient uptake – boosting plant vigor. Currently, Ocean Agro LLC is conducting large-scale field trials in a variety of crops in California. This report details a strawberry field trial conducted with Eastwood Berries Inc. in Ventura, CA.
Methods
A 2.3 acre test plot of strawberries (proprietary variety) was treated with Dirt M.D. at a rate of 1 gallon/acre per month through drip irrigation. The test block was compared against an adjacent 2.48 acre control block. The test application was applied on top of the grower’s standard regimen, which included Structure® (Actagro) and Humax® (JH Biotech, Inc.). The field was planted in mid-October, with the first application of Dirt M.D. applied in early December (approximately 45 days after transplanting) and continued monthly during ‑flower load. As of the publication of this report (early April), four applications have been completed with a final dose planned prior to the end of the season.
Results & Conclusion
After collecting weekly crate counts for both the test and control blocks, the grower recorded an average 8% increase in yield. Additionally, the grower observed improvements in flower set, firmness, and size. It is believed that the increase in size was main contributing factor in the yield gains. During the trial, there were two factors that affected the experiment; however, we believe these modifications only serve to reinforce the benefits observed in the test block.
Rabbit damage occurred on a fraction of the test plot. Even with this damage, the Dirt M.D. block still outperformed the undamaged control.
The grower increased the Humax® rate in on the control block, +25% in February and +50% in March (peak), which still under performed compared to test plot. This suggests the yield increase due to Dirt M.D. addition isn’t simply a result of increasing humic acid rates.
While the peak is over, this trial still has another month to go in the spring cycle. We look forward to collecting the last few data points, publishing our full report, and repeating these results next season on an expanded trial base.
REQUEST YOUR EVALUATIVE TRIAL:
Email us: DirtMD@OceanAgro.com
Call us: 1-888-203-8468
*Week 4 harvest affected by rain