The results of an extensive scientific field trial conducted by Brookside Agra in 2016 to test the yield-boosting potential of its proprietary, multi-purpose growing agent H2OExcel™ have been released. According to compiled data, H2OExcel has been shown to increase profits by as much as $22.00 – $62.00 per acre when applied to corn and soybean crops at planting.
H2OExcel is an all-natural, proprietary blend of desert plant extracts and high-quality, humic acid-containing biologicals and other non-plant derived nutrient enhancers. H2OExcel is highly efficient and can change the polarity of water and soil, increase biological activity, interact with soil capillarity pressure and defend against dehydration of both the soil and plants by keeping water available deeper in the soil profile. H2OExcel provides a unique opportunity to increase available nutrients and balance the amount of water within the root zone of growing plants by supercharging biological activity.
H2OExcel is an ideal tank mix partner with most pesticides and nutrients. It is highly flexible and can be used in any delivery system available and in all types of growing environments.
“Considering all of the benefits that come with H2OExcel, perhaps the best advantage is economic. Now there is one product that contains all of the fertility enhancers necessary to support plant vigor and soil health demanded in modern farming and turf management,” said Ben Elliott, Vice-President – Agronomy Operations at Brookside Agra.
The Field Trial
Brookside Agra agronomists replicated the field trials three times each, applying H2OExcel on corn and soybean fields in four regions within St. Clair and Cass counties in Illinois and Pemiscot County in Missouri. Each study was conducted over three different strip plots on the same crop field, with each strip ranging from a minimum of 5 acres to a maximum of 25 acres. H2OExcel was applied at spring planting, with results taken at harvest time in the fall.
The Results
In the Missouri field trial, H2OExcel was applied twice in April to corn seed via an injector on center pivot irrigation at a rate of 1-pint/acre at $8.00 per application. The total application cost including labor was $18.00/acre. At harvest, the three trials produced an average yield of 247.7 bu/acre compared to a 5-year average of 230.5 bu/acre, resulting in an average profit increase of $33.70/acre (assuming a $3 corn market).
In the St. Clair County, Illinois corn field trial, H2OExcel was applied once in April to corn seed as part of a traditional in-furrow starter package, dripped in-furrow at a rate of 1-pint/acre at $8.00 per application. The total cost of the H2OExcel application including labor was $12.00/acre. At harvest, the three trials produced an average yield of 188.9 bu/acre compared to a 5-year average of 171.4 bu/acre, resulting in an average profit increase of $36.70/acre (assuming a $3 corn market).
In the Cass County, Illinois corn field trial, H2OExcel was applied once in May to corn seed as part of a traditional in-furrow starter package, dripped in-furrow at a rate of 1-pint/acre at $8.00 per application. The total cost of the H2OExcel application including labor was $12.00/acre. At harvest, the three trials produced an average yield of 248.8 bu/acre compared to a 5-year average of 229.6 bu/acre, resulting in an average profit increase of $45.52/acre (assuming a $3 corn market).
In the St. Clair County, IL soybean field trial, H2OExcel was applied twice to soybean seeds in April as a foliar spray at a rate of 1-pint/acre at $8.00 per application. The total cost of the H2OExcel application was $24.00/acre, which included an extra $4.00/acre labor cost due to a 3-day rainfall. At harvest, the three trials produced an average yield of 63.5 bu/acre compared to a 5-year average of 55.5 bu/acre, resulting in an average profit increase of $31.77/acre (assuming a $7 bean market).