One of the biggest problems of plant breeding in tree or vine nurseries is soil fatigue. The office “Klein Altendorf” of the Service Center for Rural Areas (DLR) Rheinlandpfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) has adapted the topic again due to the encouraging positive results their colleagues at the “Queckbrunner Hof” yielded with hot steam.
In April 2011, close to Bonn, a larger trial area affected by soil fatigue was treated with steam down to 30 cm depth. For comparison a control area was selected as well as planting holes were treated with the mixture “KAD” and “KESSLER”.
In December 2011 the results were published by the DLR.
Steaming excels all other alternative methods and proves to be the best treatment method. The symptoms of soil fatigue were reduced to a minimum by applying hot steam. Average shoot length reached about 230 cm which is 140 cm longer than the control group: growth was optimized by more than 300%.
Average length of shoots. Steaming (column "dämpfen" right) proves to be by far the best method!
Detailed further information can be requested at the DLR RLP, Mr. Baab.
Download research report here in English: Soil Fatigue Report – DLR – Jan 2012
More tests will be made by the DLR in 2012.
