TIDMHMI
RNS Number : 8933A
Harvest Minerals Limited
17 September 2018
Harvest Minerals Limited / Index: LSE / Epic: HMI / Sector:
Mining
17 September 2018
Harvest Minerals Limited ('Harvest' or the 'Company')
Outstanding Results from Agronomic Tests of KPfértil on
Grass
Harvest Minerals Limited, the AIM listed fertiliser producer,
has received outstanding results from recent agronomic studies
testing KPfértil, its direct application natural fertiliser and
remineraliser product, on Brachiara (or Signal grass).
Highlights
-- Agronomic tests demonstrate that as a slow release source of
potassium ('K') and phosphate ('P'), KPfértil outperforms
traditional Super Triple Phosphate ('TSP') fertilisers, increasing
both plant growth (dry matter production) and yield (agronomic
efficiency)
-- The application of KPfértil improved the pH and nutrient
content of the soil including potassium, phosphate, calcium ('Ca')
and magnesium ('Mg').
-- The study concluded there was a 53% increased concentration
of phosphorus in the soil compared to using TSP meaning that
KPfértil provided continued fertilisation for further crop cycles,
highlighting the slow release, long term properties of KPfértil
-- Signal grass is the most widely used grass for pasture in
Brazil with over 40 million hectares planted
-- Results create a significant new market opportunity for the
Company which has already generated sales
-- Tests were conducted by the Federal University of Uberlândia
('UFU'), an institution approved by the Brazilian Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Supply ('MAPA').
Harvest's Executive Chairman, Brian McMaster, said, "These
results confirm the long term effectiveness of KPfértil as a
remineraliser for grass pasture; opening up a huge market for us
given that Brazil has over 40 million hectares of signal grass
planted. Even though these tests were completed only recently, our
sales team has already secured several small orders so that
customers can begin to see the benefits for themselves. We expect
this take-up rate to increase as we develop and implement our
market strategies to the local graziers."
To view the announcement with illustrative diagrams please use
the following link:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8933A_1-2018-9-16.pdf
Further Information
The study was conducted by UFU, an institution approved by MAPA,
to assess the effectiveness of using KPfértil as a soil
remineraliser for Signal grass (Brachiaria) compared to traditional
fertilisers. In particular, the tests examined the residual or slow
release nature of KPfértil that enables plants to continue to
receive essential nutrients over a longer period of time, thereby
improving the effectiveness of the application.
The tests included measuring:
-- the increase in plant growth (dry matter production)
-- the amount (and accumulation of) nutrients including P, K, Ca
and Mg in the leaves (aerial part of the plant)
-- the nutrients available in the soil including, P, K, Ca and Mg
The study was conducted in sandy and clay rich soil that had
been used in previous agronomic studies and is common to the areas
occupied by our clients. This study compared a range of fertiliser
options from a control dosage, containing no K and P, through to a
high-end commercial fertiliser containing Muriate of Potash ('K')
and TSP (considered the most effective source of P in the market).
The study was carried out over two consecutive 40-day cycles with
no additional fertiliser, including KPfértil, being applied
following the initial dosage.
Results
Agronomic Efficiency Index
The study concluded that after the second cycle, the Agronomic
Efficiency Index ('AEI'), which records the increase in plant
growth per unit of nutrient applied, values from KPfértil compared
to TSP, were:
-- Sandy soil - 627.7% (KPfértil powder) and 1,046% (KPfértil filler)
-- Clay rich soil - 134.5% (powder) and 119.5% (filler)
This clearly demonstrates the strong slow release nature of
KFfértil, which releases the P into the soil in a more gradual way,
favouring its absorption by plants over time compared to TSP,
making the filler over ten times as effective as TSP in sandy soil
after 80 days.
Dry Matter Production
Treatment Source Dose Dose P(2) Clay Rich Sandy Soil
K(2) O(5) Soil
O
---------- ------------------------- ------ ---------- ---------- -----------
--------- mg kg(-1) -------------- g
--------- ------------
Control (without K
1 and P) 0 0 8.73 8.98
2 MoP 80 ----- 16.70 12.85
3 TSP ----- 253 13.74 9.02
4 MoP + TSP 80 253 16.30 17.21
5 KPfértil (filler) 20 63 8.61 11.63
6 KPfértil (filler) 40 127 13.27 12.59
7 KPfértil (filler) 80 253 14.71 14.62
8 KPfértil (filler) 160 507 18.22 15.52
9 KPfértil (powder) 20 63 11.90 9.73
10 KPfértil (powder) 40 127 12.22 10.89
11 KPfértil (powder) 80 253 15.47 10.66
12 KPfértil (powder) 160 507 17.87 15.66
---------- ------------------------- ------ ---------- ---------- -----------
After the second cycle, the Signal grass plants were submitted
for biometric evaluation with the dry matter produced, being the
weight of new plant growth less water content, being weighed (Table
2).
Table 2 - Dry matter production from 2 cycles of Signal grass
plants
The Study concluded that, applying the same dose of P and K as
KPfértil in the clay rich soil (T7 filler and T11 powder), produced
90.24% (T7 = 14.71g) and 94.90% (T11 = 15.47g) of the dry matter
produced using conventional fertilisers (T4 = 16.30g).
Similarly, the Study concluded that applying the same dose of P
and K as KPfértil in the sandy soil, (T7 filler and T11 powder) the
green matter production reached 84.95% (T7 = 14.62g) and 61.94%
(T11 = 10.66g), respectively, when compared with the conventional
sources of P and K (T4 = 17.21g).
These results demonstrate that in like-for-like dosages,
KPfértil will perform almost to the same standard as traditional
fertilisers, and by applying slightly more KPfértil, the
performances can be identical. The significance of these results is
that, as KPfértil is substantially cheaper than the traditional
sources, farmers can obtain a clear economic benefit from using
KPfértil with no decrease in effectiveness. This benefit is further
increased by the long term properties of KPfértil as KPfértil
releases the nutrients slowly. As a result, it is expected that dry
matter production would be better for KPfértil than traditional
fertilisers over further cycles as shown by the residual levels of
P in the soil.
Residual Effect of P in Soil
After the second cycle the nutrient levels in the soil were
measured and it was observed that the P from the conventional TSP
source was depleted in the soil, which slowed plant growth, while
it was observed in the areas to which KPfértil was applied that the
P wasn't depleted and there was comparably improved plant
development.
The study demonstrated that KPfértil is more efficient in
raising P levels than both TSP and the complete MoP + TSP treatment
(Table 03) with P levels from filler 53% higher than for MoP +
TSP.
Treatment Source Dose P(2) Clay Rich Sandy Soil
O(5) Soil
---------- --------------------------- --------------- ------------- -------------
mg kg(-1) ------------- P
in mg dm(-3) ------------
Control (without K
1 and P) 0 2.90 2.17
2 MoP (conventional source ----- ----- -----
of K)
TSP (conventional source
3 of P) 253 5.01 9.81
4 MoP + TSP 253 3.18 10.70
5 KPfértil (filler) 63 2.18 5.42
6 KPfértil (filler) 127 3.48 8.68
7 KPfértil (filler) 253 9.28 16.39
8 KPfértil (filler) 507 17.80 46.17
9 KPfértil (powder) 63 2.85 5.37
10 KPfértil (powder) 127 3.60 6.80
11 KPfértil (powder) 253 6.06 9.55
12 KPfértil (powder) 507 9.50 38.54
---------- --------------------------- --------------- ------------- -------------
Table 3 - Residual Effect of P in soil after 2 cycles of Signal
grass plants by treatment.
Next Steps
The results summarised above are the latest in a raft of good
test results produced by KPfértil over the past 1-2 years. Going
forward, we will be conducting a trial over two years demonstrating
the long term benefit of replacing traditional fertiliser with
KPfértil for Signal grass.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014
*S*
For further information please visit www.harvestminerals.net or
contact:
Harvest Minerals Limited Brian McMaster Tel: +44 (0) 20 7317
(Chairman) 6629
Strand Hanson Limited James Spinney Tel: +44 (0)20 7409
Nominated & Financial Adviser Ritchie Balmer 3494
Arden Partners plc Tim Dainton Tel: +44 (0) 20 7614
Joint Broker Paul Brotherhood 5900
Paul Shackleton
Shard Capital Partners Damon Heath Tel: +44 (0) 20 7186
Joint Broker 9900
St Brides Partners Ltd Isabel de Salis Tel: +44 (0)20 7236
Financial PR Gaby Jenner 1177
Notes
Harvest Minerals (HMI.L) is a Brazilian focused fertiliser
producer advancing the 100% owned Arapua Fertiliser Project, which
produces KPfértil, a proven, multi-nutrient, slow release, organic,
MAPA-certified remineraliser. KPfértil offers many economic and
agronomic benefits and addresses the significant demand for locally
produced fertiliser in Brazil, with its abundant agricultural land;
currently, the country imports 90% of the potash it uses but has a
target to be self-sufficient in fertilisers by 2020. Covering
14,946 hectares and located in the heart of the Brazilian
agriculture belt in Minas Gerais, Arapua is a shallow, low cost
mine with an indicated and inferred resource of 13.07Mt at 3.1%
K(2) O and 2.49% P(2) O(5) . This is based on drilling just 6.7% of
the known mineralisation, leaving significant upside potential.
This resource is equivalent over 29 years' production and the known
mineralisation expected to support 100+ years' production at
450,000 tonnes per annum.
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Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution
of this information may apply. For further information, please
contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
END
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