Vellsam achieves 24% more production and 35% more weight in cantaloupe melon Maverick

The objective was to study the effect of a new biofertilizer on the stimulation of production, nutrient absorption, soil fertility and quality of harvested fruits, in a trial in Roquetas de Mar.

Vellsam Materias Bioactivas continues to help improve the production and quality of crops and with one of its latest biotechnological solutions developed by its R&D&I department has managed to improve the quality of harvested fruits in terms of length, diameter and weight; the absorption of nutrients by the plant, and counteract the adverse effects of abiotic stress, according to data obtained in a trial conducted on a 14,000 square meter farm in Roquetas de Mar (Almeria).

The objective of this trial was to study the effect of Rhyzoprime, the company’s biofertilizer, on yield stimulation, plant nutrient uptake, soil fertility and harvested fruit quality in two varieties of cantaloupe melon (Maverick and Magial).

The plant varieties treated with Rhyzoprime achieved higher yields than the control plants, with an increase in yield of 24% in the Maverick variety and 6% in the Magial variety, also increasing the average fruit weight by 35% and 13%, respectively. In addition, the application of this biofertilizer positively influenced the concentration of chlorophyll A, B and total chlorophyll A, B and total chlorophyll with respect to the control in the Maverick variety.

“With this new biofertilizer we have managed to improve the quality of the harvested fruit in terms of length, diameter and weight, and its use has also improved the absorption of nutrients by the plant and counteracted the adverse effects of abiotic stress,” explains Gema Pérez, Head of Crop Research at Vellsam Materias Bioactivas.

Perez adds that “the treatments have also increased the availability of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium or magnesium in the rhizosphere of the plant” while the applications “have increased the concentration of nutritional elements such as nitrogen, potassium, calcium or boron at foliar level”.