Biocore Agri has developed the Biocore Land product, which is made from fermented fish, which trials have shown to contain a broad range of macro and micronutrients, amino acids, trace elements and organic matter.
“We shred and mulch fish that is not suitable for human consumption in a process known as cold hydrolysis. The resulting liquid organic fertiliser that can be applied to soil as a conditioner or to plants as a foliar spray. It can also be mixed with other biological or chemical products to reduce spraying frequency,” explained managing director Stephen Welsh.
The manufacturer used Eurofins’ Soil Life Monitor to report on the soil-enhancing effect. One trial showed that seven litres per hectare reduced the growth cycle of lettuces by three days, equivalent to 10%.
“We are working with Harlequins F.C. to enhance the training pitches at the club. We are also running a series of trials with VCS Agronomy, and recently completed a successful trial with the British Carrot Growers Association which saw carrot yields increase by 9.65%,” Stephen said.
Further tests with Eurofins have shown that the fertiliser can increase microbial biomass by 85% and organic matter by 27%. Additionally, total bacteria was boosted by 66.6% and total fungi by 85.71%.
“In a 15-hectare split field trial we applied Biocore Land to grass, which showed an 8.47% increase in grass protein and an organic matter increase of 27%. This demonstrated a benefit to both soil life and grass quality,” Stephen added.
“Eurofins was the only laboratory that could identify the build-up of microbial biomass in the soil samples from our trials. The results show that Biocore Land is capable of making significant improvements to microbial life quickly, which we hope will appeal to farmers and growers looking to use natural fertilisers rather than chemicals.”