Improvement of Carrot Stands with Plant Biostimulants and Fluid Drilling

Authors

Douglas C. Sanders, North Carolina State UniversityFollow
Jacqueline A. Ricotta, Delaware Valley CollegeFollow
Laurie Hodges, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2-1990

Comments

Published in HortScience (February 1990) 25(2): 181-183. Copyright 1990, American Society for Horticultural Science. Used by permission.

Abstract

We determined if application of certain naturally occurring compounds would stimulate emergence, growth, and development of carrot (Daucus carota L.). The commercially available biostimulants Agro-Lig, Enersol (humic acids), and Ergostim (folic acid) were added at a concentration of 1.5% (w/v) to Laponite 508 (magnesium sulfate) gel used in fluid drilling. Agro-Lig, Enersol and Ergostim increased carrot emergence >2-fold as measured by number of roots as compared to untreated seed. Number of carrots increased 50% to 75% when biostimulants were incorporated into the gel, compared to fluid-drilled seed without the biostimulants. When biostimulants were applied as a drench over untreated seeds sown conventionally, the average root weight obtained was more than twice that from untreated seeds.