After a development process of six years, Soiltech is the first manufacturer of foliar fertilisers in Europe to launch an innovative foliar fertiliser under the name Optima Sugar+. The product is specially formulated for use in the cultivation of sugar beet. Several independent trials show that the Optima Sugar+ increases the net sugar yield by 8.5%.
The development of the Optima Sugar+ started six years ago, when a large scale research by Soiltech showed that especially the nutrients calcium, magnesium and manganese made an important contribution to the sugar content of the beet. During the formulation process that followed, much attention was paid to the effectiveness, crop safety and ease of use of the Optima Sugar+. A new type of organic molecule derived from sugars was used, so that the nutrients are "packed". This technique is also called complexing and has several advantages: the nutrients are absorbed much more easily by the plant, it is very gentle for the crop and it also ensures that the nutrients cannot react with other products in the tank.
Highly concentrated
Optima Sugar+ is a highly concentrated product. The difficulty in developing such a strong concentration lies mainly in the fact that the product must be easy to pour and at the same time must not sag. Almost every grower has experience with products that sag easily and after a year are impossible to get out of the can or cause blockages in the filters. Soiltech wanted to avoid this at all costs. They are therefore proud of the result achieved. Optima Sugar+ is a stable product, easy to pour and also available in IBC's of 300 and 1000 litres, unique for such a product.
8.5% more sugar yield
In 2019 and 2020, several official trial stations in the Netherlands, including the WUR, tested the Optima Sugar+ in sugar beet. In these trials, 3-4 l/ha of Optima Sugar+ were applied per spray in combination with the last herbicide, the first fungicide and in two trials also in combination with a second fungicide treatment. The results of these trials all showed increased sugar yields ranging from 6.7% to 9.9% with an average of 8.5% more sugar yield per hectare. With an investment for the grower of around €50,-/ha per year of Optima Sugar+, it is financially very attractive to apply the product in sugar beet.
If you would like more information, please contact:
David Damminga
Sales Manager
+31 411 64 81 05
