Expert round table organised by AGRITURF 2022 Zrt. at AGROmashEXPO

The round table discussion was moderated by Dr. Éva Pénzes, Commercial and Marketing Director of AGRITURF Zrt.

In the introduction, Tamás Petőházi analysed the situation that has developed in agriculture. The experts agreed that agriculture is burdened by many factors, including the explosion of energy prices, the very significant rise in the price of inputs and fertilizer and its occasional shortage, the 2022 drought and the negative consequences of the war.

Farmers want to farm profitably and in an environmentally conscious way. It is in everyone's interest that the degradation of arable soils stops and that the nutrient-supplying capacity of soils improves.

The experts looked for an answer to the question of which preparations and technologies can be used to produce healthy food economically.

Dr. János Csicsor stressed that humic and fulvic acid preparations have long been known to bind 70–80 macro- and micronutrients very effectively, meeting the needs of plants. This results not only in a larger but also in a better-quality yield. Numerous studies confirm that today's crops, vegetables and fruit contain fewer vitamins and nutrients than 25–30 years ago. This can be traced back to the declining nutrient-supplying capacity of arable soils.

Dr. Gábor Solti, an expert, gave useful information about alginite. Alginite is the remains of algae deposited in lakes formed during volcanic activity, and it has many beneficial effects on soils and plants. It contains many valuable organic substances, micro- and macroelements, and has good water-retention capacity. It is recommended to use it together with other soil conditioners and soil improvers.

Dr. Katalin Juhos stated that the strains in bacterial soil inoculants have many beneficial properties. They provide nutrients for the plant (through nitrogen fixation and the release of potassium and phosphorus), improve soil structure, making the soil easier to cultivate, and reduce the damage caused by drought stress. In the professional breakdown of crop residues, bacterial preparations support the rapid utilisation of organic matter and also prevent the spread of pathogenic fungi.

The new AGRITURF Concentrate technology of AGRITURF 2022 Zrt. revolutionises nutrient supply. The preparation is extracted from sapropel using a special process and has a high humic and fulvic acid content.

According to Dr. Zoltán Futó, Head of Department and Associate Professor, university trials have shown that there are preparations and technologies suitable for partially or fully replacing fertilizer. According to trials with AGRITURF Concentrate, 50% of the fertilizer can be omitted from the technology, yet yields are still better than in the control (untreated area). Using AGRITURF Concentrate also improves drought tolerance and makes soils better.

Using AGRITURF Concentrate also improves economic indicators, as an average saving of about 40% can be achieved on the input side. On areas where fertilization has been carried out sensibly for years, yields can be maintained for 2 years with the AGRITURF Concentrate technology alone, which makes the profit even higher.