Controlled research: Measuring POLY4’s effect under drought
Phenotyping experiment with direct physiological measurements
Phenotyping experiment with direct physiological measurements
In 2023, a controlled greenhouse experiment was conducted to study how POLY4 influences plant response to drought. Researchers used the high-tech phenotyping system PlantArray to track physiological changes in real time. The setup included fine sand as a substrate to isolate the fertiliser’s effect, ensuring accurate results. The trial focused on comparing POLY4 with SOP and MOP under controlled drought conditions.
Plants treated with POLY4 showed higher drought stress tolerance than those fertilised with SOP. During the stress phase, they also demonstrated better water use efficiency compared to both SOP and MOP. After drought, POLY4-fed plants recovered photosynthesis quicker than those treated with MOP. These findings confirm POLY4’s role in supporting crops under water-limited conditions.
The graph below shows how POLY4 improved water use efficiency (WUE) during the experiment. Higher water use efficiency means the plant makes better use of the limited water available — helping it tolerate drought and keep performing when water is scarce.
Result of a greenhouse pot trial with soybean crop performed in 2023 using a functional phenotyping system. For better isolation of fertiliser effects on drought tolerance fine sand was used as a substrate. Water use efficiency (WUE) = daily canopy biomass / daily transpiration. All treatments received equal amounts of N and P.
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