Collaboration between Tomatoworld and Koppert to enhance soil health

For years, Tomatoworld and Koppert have been working together to gain more knowledge and promote new developments in tomato cultivation and the horticultural sector. This season, we are focusing specifically on the soil. Last season, we started an experiment concentrating on stimulating soil life, which in turn collaborates with the plant in the root environment. Plants were treated with Trianum and Vidi Parva to enhance and stimulate soil life alongside the plant.

Koppert

Vidi Parva for a strong root in tomato

Tomato cuttings planted in water with nutrients and trace elements. The right cutting has had Vidi Parva added several times. In practice, Vidi Parva leads to 15%-20% higher root weights.

Soil life is often a forgotten but essential part of a healthy plant. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the plant by:

  • Protecting the plant from diseases and pests
  • Warning the plant of attackers
  • Helping the uptake and availability of nutrients
  • Supporting the development of the plant through hormone production

A greater diversity of soil life can form a buffer against harmful organisms by competing for space and nutrients. Some soil organisms specifically target certain pathogens and produce substances that can suppress soil pathogens or act parasitically, such as insect parasitic nematodes. Soil fungi such as the Trichoderma harzianum T22 strain in Trianum can even colonize roots and provide protection against soil pathogens. Trianum forms a protective shield around the roots and can actively kill certain pathogenic fungi. It also ensures that other harmful fungi and bacteria have less space and nutrients to hinder the plant. The protective role of Trianum is so efficient that it has been a CTGB-registered biological crop protection product for 20 years against diseases such as Rhizoctonia spp., Pythium spp. and Fusarium spp. Trianum not only protects the plant, but also helps with the uptake of nutrients and helps the plant to withstand stressful conditions.

The connection between the plant and the soil life takes place at the roots. The plant secretes specific substances, known as root exudates, that attract beneficial soil life and promote cooperation. A strong root system and sufficient energy to secrete these exudates are therefore crucial for the plant. Adding biostimulants such as Vidi Parva can provide additional support for the development of the plant. Vidi Parva is a root biostimulant that helps the plant to develop a stronger root system. It contains a large amount of tryptophan, which the plant can convert into auxin. Increased auxin levels in the plant cause more root branching and the development of more root hairs, both of which lead to a larger root surface. This improved root development is clearly visible in the image below, where the tomato cutting on the right has been treated with Vidi Parva.

At Tomatoworld, we worked with Trianum and Vidi Parva last season to build up our knowledge of soil life and biostimulants in tomato cultivation. These additions have been well received and in the coming season we want to quantify their added value using data. We will focus on various aspects, such as the duration of the acclimatisation process at the start of cultivation, reduced use of chemical fungicides and root development.

Mechanisms of action of Trianum

Trianum enters into a partnership with a tomato plant by colonizing the root and then supporting it. Trianum provides this support in various forms: it protects the root from fungal pathogens by parasitizing/competition, reduces stress reactions of the plant and helps with the absorption of nutrients.