Lettuce

Less tipburn through a combination strategy using ArgicinPlus and SilicaPower  

It is best to start strengthening the propagation material as early as possible. Preferably as soon as the seedlings start to grow after sowing. For many lettuce growers, during this phase their plant materials are often still with the propagator. Therefore, our advice is to talk to your propagator and ask that the young plants are treated with our versatile fertilizer with CE marking, ArgicinPlus.

ArgicinPlus contains three different components: silicon, willow bark extract and colloidal silver.

• Silicon is built into the cell walls of the stalk and leaf and literally strengthens these. Silicon also ensures that water and nutrients reach their destination more easily, as silicon also improves the internal transport of water and therefore reduces drought stress.
• Willow bark extract plays an important role in root development. It encourages faster and more uniform growth; the young lettuce plants grow better and more evenly and have a greater capacity to absorb water and nutrients. After being planted out, you will experience significantly fewer failures.
• Colloidal silver helps to increase the chlorophyll content and also diffuses the incoming light. This prevents the leaf temperature from rising as quickly.

Due to its broad effect, ArgicinPlus is a good standard for the propagation phase of lettuce. It can easily be applied in combination with biological crop protection and has no safety period.

Recommended dosage/advice for use - ArgicinPlus in lettuce propagation

• 1.0 litre/ha ArgicinPlus in spray mixture amounts up to 500 litres/ha.
• Add an additional 0.2 litres/ha of ArgicinPlus for every 100 litres/ha of spray mixture.
• Crop spraying is preferable. Administration via LVM (low volume misting) is an alternative.
• A one-off application halfway through propagation is sufficient.

Apply SilicaPower weekly until just before the harvest

Increase and maintain the resilience of young lettuce plants after planting out through the weekly application of SilicaPower. SilicaPower is a liquid silicon CE marked biostimulant, which is easily mixed, which contains a high concentration of absorbable silicon (3% orthosilicic acid) and a unique low EC of just 0.02 mS.

The silicon in SilicaPower strengthens the cell walls and epidermis of the leaf, improves distribution and absorption of nutrients, improves the internal transport of water and therefore reduces drought stress. It is known that when leaves are stronger (physical barrier), they are less susceptible to piercing pests.

The distinctive purity of our silicon product SilicaPower makes it highly suitable for both open ground crops and closed liquid-based growing systems (Nutrient Film Technique [NFT] or aquaponics).

Recommended dosage/advice for use - SilicaPower in commercial growing of lettuce

• 0.5 litres of SilicaPower per hectare per week.
• Start: immediately after planting (until the week before harvesting).
• SilicaPower can be administered via irrigation (dose from the A fertilizer feeder or separate fertilizer injector), but it can also be sprayed. In hydroponic cultivation, SilicaPower can be dosed via the A fertilizer feeder with the water.
   

Summary of the resilience strategy for lettuce

Start with 1 application of ArgicinPlus and then continue with SilicaPower. ArgicinPlus mainly boosts the initial growth: young lettuce plants grow better and more uniformly and are less likely to fail.

If you do not wish the propagator to apply ArgicinPlus, start this at your own farm and only then continue with SilicaPower.

Research also shows: 25% less tipburn

Combined treatment with fertilizer with CE marking, ArgicinPlus (once during propagation) and the biostimulant SilicaPower (apply weekly) increases plant resilience and makes lettuce plants significantly less susceptible to tipburn.

This is according to research conducted by the ‘Proefstation voor de Groenteteelt’ (the Research Station for Vegetable Production) in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium.

Both ArgicinPlus and SilicaPower contain silicon. Tipburn is an abiotic stress reaction, caused by calcium deficiency as a result of (too much) evaporation. Feeding silicon to the lettuce plants significantly improves the absorption of calcium. On balance, this reduces loss of yield and improves the storability of lettuce heads.

Uninterrupted growth only with clean irrigation water

Plenty of good-quality water is important for uninterrupted growth. Getting this water to your lettuce requires a well-functioning irrigation system, which is free from blockages. The risk of blockages can be minimized by using the water-maintenance products Blue Bac-1 and Blue-Bac-2. Both are 100% natural products and contain various bacteria.

Blue Bac-1 for clear water in the basin and silo

Blue Bac-1 contains useful and harmless bacteria that compete with algae for nutrition, causing the algae to die off. Blue Bac-1 also assists in the digestion process of dead algae, which means that within just a short time, the basin and silo will be clear and the water will remain clean.

Recommended dosage/advice for use Blue Bac-1

• For average contamination levels, as a starting dose administer 2 litres of Blue Bac-1/500 m³ of basin water in the spring. The best result can be expected at a water temperature upwards of 12°C (usually in mid-April).
• Repeat the application of Blue Bac-1 every month at a dose of 1 litre/500 m³ of basin water.
• To achieve the best effect, Blue Bac-1 should be mixed through the water thoroughly, moving horizontally. Therefore, add the product as far away from the intake point as possible; thorough aeration using a Venturi or waterfall also improves the effect.
• The most important support when using Blue Bac-1 is that you ensure that the basin water moves horizontally. Stagnant water is ideal for algae growth and it does not thrive as well in moving water. The bacteria in Blue Bac-1 will then do the rest.

Blue Bac-2 for pipes and drippers free from blockages

Blue Bac-2 is formulated with special Bacillus bacteria. These bacteria produce enzymes that form a very smooth coating on the inside of pipes, hoses and drippers; organic contaminants, sand and phosphate deposits are unable to adhere. This means that the dreaded green film is a thing of the past. In practice, we see a great added bonus of Blue Bac-2: the bacteria that is present has a positive effect on root development and it also helps you to maintain the pH (stability) of your feed water.

Recommended dosage/advice for use Blue Bac-2

As a starting dose, administer 5 litres of Blue Bac-2/ha, in a single shot from a separate fertilizer injector or add to the day storage tank or the A fertilizer feeder. Repeat this every month until the end of cultivation.
For the best effect, the irrigation water has to be aerated properly, using a Venturi or waterfall. Both improve the effectiveness.

Important tip

The recommended product ArgicinPlus cannot be used in irrigation water to which hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or another oxidizing product (containing chlorine) has been added. The ingredients in ArgicinPlus are broken down in just five minutes.
Blue Bac-1 and Blue Bac-2 are natural alternatives to H₂O₂ or other chemical disinfectants. Contact our advisor to discuss our solution if you nevertheless wish to use hydrogen peroxide at the same time as ArgicinPlus.

Additional advice?

Do you have additional questions or would you like to know how to translate the aforementioned advice to your own growing situation? Contact your dealer or our advisor Alwin Scholten. Ring Alwin on telephone number +31 (0)6 49 33 49 30 or email him on alwin.scholten@plantosys.nl. Alwin is also the person to ask about our possible solutions should you have any other cultivation problems.