Final Conclusions
- The effect of the Humefert treatment on soil physical and biological properties resulted in a faster water infiltration rate and less soil compaction in the top
35cm of the soil. This was supported by a significant increase in root volume, fresh root weight, and dry root weight during both the early and latter season
evaluations. The Humefert treatment also had a positive effect on soil biology. This treatment resulted in a notable increase in earthworm numbers, a
significant decrease in the parasitic citrus nematode counts and a significantly higher ratio between beneficial and parasitic nematodes in the soil around the
roots.
- The young shoots in the control treatment showed an increase in vegetative vigour and a notably higher NO3-N concentration in the shoot sap early season.
The late season sap analyses supported this vegetative vigour with a notable increase in one year old shoot length and significantly higher macro- and
micronutrient concentrations. It is interesting to note that in the standard leaf analysis, the Humefert treatment resulted in a significantly higher Ca
concentration, and notably higher micro nutrient concentrations. In both the early and late season nutrient analyses, the Humefert fruit showed a significant
increase in especially the K concentration, the K:N ratio, and Zn and Cu concentrations. The nutrient make up of the Humefert treated fruit, and the vegetative
vigour in the control treatment, supported fruit quality and nutrient density in block 16.
- Early fruit set counts showed an increase of 31.3% in fruit numbers in the Humefert treatment, although there were no noticeable differences in the fresh and
dry fruit weights between the treatments at that stage. In the late season orchard evaluation the Humefert treatment showed a 7.9% increase in fruit numbers
and a 16.8% increase in fruit weight. Packhouse data confirmed that the Humefert treatment did in fact increase the number of fruit with 13.7% from 32.78
ton/ha to 37.26 ton/ha. This also resulted in an increase in the number of fruit per hectare having the optimum export size of 59-72mm diameter.