Increase in producer income with Ultrasol® and Speedfol™

With the aim of increasing yield and efficiency in the cultivation of processed tomatoes, SQMC (SQM Commercial) launched a technical trial in conjunction with Agrozzi, Chile’s largest tomato processor. The project lasted three years and sought to evaluate the impact of different irrigation systems, nutrient extraction curves, and specialized fertilization programs.

“This trial was designed to optimize water supply and nutrition for industrial tomato crops, comparing traditional approaches with SQMC’s Specialty Plant Nutrition program,” explained Claudio Valdés, M.Sc. Agronomist at SQMC.

Implementation of the Nutritional Program with Ultrasol® and Speedfol™

During the 2006–2007 season, a plant nutrition program based on highly soluble and efficient products was implemented:

• Ultrasol®
• Speedfol™

This program was directly compared with conventional fertilization management applied by a local farmer.

Trial Details:

• Location: La Sagrada Familia, Curicó, Maule Region
• Field size: 1 hectare
• Planting density: 35,000 plants/hectare (1.4 m × 0.2 m)
• Yield and quality assessment: performed by Agrozzi
• Statistical analysis: ANOVA + LSD test with significance at P < 0.05

Variables evaluated:

• Total yield of processed fruit
• Water-use efficiency according to the irrigation system
• Response to nutrient extraction curves
• Impact of the nutritional program compared with the control

Table 1. SQMC soil applications.

Table 2. SQMC foliar applications.

Ultrasol® and Speedfol™ in processed tomato production increase net farmer income by US$1,050/ha.

Results

Yield increased by 32% (25 MT/ha) when using Ultrasol® compared to the grower’s program.
The addition of Speedfol™ to the Ultrasol® program increased yields by another 7 MT/ha when compared to the Ultrasol® program (Table 3).

The highest average fruit weight was obtained when applying a combination of Ultrasol® + Speedfol™ (Table 4).

The addition of Ultrasol® applications resulted in a higher percentage of ripe fruit (Table 5).