NutriSoil LS - Essay Example

Gardening magazines advertise many products that claim to benefit soil health or plant growth, and nurseries, greenhouses, and flower shops stock them. NutriSoil Liquid Spray (LS) is one such product. Here, we report basic information about NutriSoil LS, investigate its claims based upon empirical data, and make a critical assessment of how whether it lives up to its expectations.
NutriSoil LS is liquid plant food produced from a vermiculture system (http://www.awbillboard.com.au/category/13/Garden-Supplies-Equipment/nutrisoilbiologicalfertiliser.htm). Vermiculture is a way to compost using earthworms to accelerate the process. NutriSoil includes nutrients from animal, plant, and rock sources. Worm leachate is extracted and packaged as NutriSoil LS in 2 liter, 5 liter, 25 liter and 1000 liter tanks. Leachate is liquid that drains from landfills.
NutriSoil LS claims it helps produce higher yield per acre and a higher rate of growth. There is scant data to support or refute these claims. One company report published represents the pseudoscientific method on which some of these claims are based (http://www.nutrisoil.com.au/farmers). In 2008, NutriSoil researchers planted 900 acres of hay to presumably demonstrate the effectiveness of their product. They conducted trials in on two 30 acre plots planted next to one another. They reportedly cut large round bales of hay in late October and again in early January 2009. Neither plot was artificially irrigated. They applied NutriSoil at 5L per hectare in September 2008 and again after the first hay cut. Their yield reports were as follows:
1st Cut 60 bales 65 bales
2nd Cut 20 bales 86 bales
Do these results justify a claim of "Twice the return for a quarter of the price" What is the claim even comparing
Ultimately the findings do not impact the claims of NutriSoil LS at all. The study reports do not meet minimum methodological standards. Was there a control group If so, which plot represented it How was the control treated Did it receive a competitor's fertilizer Did it receive no fertilizer Which cut represented which plot and harvest How does the result stack up against just plain manure or compost Critical assessment of whether the product will live up to its expectations yielded certain results. At best, certain independent recommendations might suffice for a decision for trial use of the product (http://forum.weatherzone.com.au/ubbthreads.phpubb=showflat&Number=445439&page=2). Nevertheless, the manufacturer claims are unfounded because either their research method was invalid or their reporting measures were ineffectual. In either case, we are left with too many questions and not enough answers. NutriSoil LS needs to redesign their research and reporting measures to clarify the validity of their product claims.
Here, we report basic information about NutriSoil LS, investigate its claims based upon empirical data, and make a critical assessment of how whether it lives up to its expectations. Gardening magazines advertise many products that claim to benefit soil health or plant growth, and nurseries, greenhouses, and flower shops stock them. NutriSoil LS is one such product. Gardeners and farmers purchase and use them, but are they getting what they bargained for Sometimes, systematic analysis of claims is necessary to tease out facts about product claims. Read More