Tag Archive for: head

Bionema’s RootVita® SP Increases Maize Head Size by 50%

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Bionema’s RootVita® SP Increases Maize Head Size by 50%: A groundbreaking field trial in South Africa has demonstrated that RootVita® SP, Bionema Group’s innovative biostimulant technology, can increase Maize head size by 50%, marking a significant advancement in sustainable agriculture.

A prominent Maize farmer in South Africa tested this product in partnership with Bionema Group to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing root development, nutrient uptake, and overall plant health.

Bionema’s RootVita® SP Increases Maize Head Size by 50%

Bionema’s RootVita® SP Increases Maize Head Size by 50%

The Global Importance of Maize

Maize is the most widely grown cereal crop in the world, feeding over 1.2 billion people globally. It is a staple food for over 300 million Africans, accounting for 30–50% of daily calorie intake. With increasing climate challenges, soil degradation, and fertiliser price volatility, improving Maize productivity is critical for developing nations’ food security and economic stability.

Why This Matters for Africa

Africa’s Maize production is expected to fall by up to 30% by 2050 due to climate change and depleting soil nutrients, threatening the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. South Africa, one of the continent’s largest Maize producers, faces rising input costs and erratic rainfall, making sustainable solutions like RootVita® SP crucial.

The successful 2024–2025 field trials of RootVita® SP demonstrated:

✔ 50% increase in Maize head size.
✔ Improved soil microbiome activity for long-term fertility.
✔ Higher resilience to environmental stress.
✔ Reduced reliance on synthetic fertilisers.

Field Trial Findings: Transforming Maize Productivity

The trial, conducted across multiple farms in South Africa, was initiated in late 2024 and continued through the 2025 maize-growing season. The region’s soils often suffer from nutrient deficiencies, and climate variability has made crop production more challenging.

RootVita® SP, when integrated into standard Maize farming practices, significantly improved nutrient absorption, root development, and overall plant vigour, resulting in larger Maize heads and improved grain quality. These findings highlight the critical role of biostimulants in modern agriculture.

Sustainable Agriculture: Reducing Dependence on Chemical Fertilizers

With the rising costs of synthetic fertilisers and stricter global regulations on chemical inputs, farmers are turning to biological alternatives to maintain productivity without harming the environment. RootVita® SP offers a cost-effective, sustainable alternative that boosts yield and improves soil health and crop resilience against climate stress.

Dr. Minshad Ansari, CEO and Founder of Bionema, said, “This trial reinforces Bionema’s commitment to creating innovative biological solutions that transform modern agriculture. A 50% increase in Maize head size is a game-changer, particularly in regions where food security and soil health are pressing concerns. RootVita® SP is proving to be a sustainable alternative that allows farmers to maximise yields while reducing their reliance on chemical inputs.”

About Bionema Group

Bionema Group is a pioneering biotech company specialising in biocontrol and biostimulant solutions for sustainable crop production and plant health management. With a strong focus on biological alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals, Bionema’s products support farmers and growers in improving yields, enhancing soil health, and reducing environmental impact.

For more information on RootVita® SP and its application in Maize and other crops, visit: www.bionema.com

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Head groundsperson calls for more apprenticeship opportunities

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Head groundsperson calls for more apprenticeship opportunities: This National Apprenticeship Week, Leeds Rhinos Head Groundsperson Ryan Golding is urging employers, including sports clubs and organisations, to invest in apprenticeships and help secure the future of the grounds management industry.

Data from the Grounds Management Association (GMA) shows the industry will face an employment crisis if more isn’t done to attract and train the next generation of grounds care professionals.

Head groundsperson calls for more apprenticeship opportunities

Head groundsperson calls for more apprenticeship opportunities

National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeship Week, which takes place from 10th – 16th February, is an annual event that raises awareness about apprenticeships and the long-term recruitment solutions they can offer employers.

Ryan began his career at Leeds Rhinos as an apprentice, initially working under former Head Groundsperson Jason Booth, who had also started as an apprentice at the club.

Data from the GMA shows around 40% of the current grounds management workforce are over 50 and up to 15% of those employed in the industry are planning to retire in the next 3 years.

The GMA is the not-for-profit organisation that supports volunteer and professional groundspeople, including those looking to get started in the industry. The GMA’s NextGen programme aims to inspire more young people to get involved in grounds management. As a former member of the GMA’s NextGen, Ryan was recently awarded a Pioneer Mark by the GMA, recognising his work to help young professionals build their careers in grounds management.

Ryan says: “I’m delighted to have received a Pioneer Mark from the GMA, bringing through the next generation is a huge passion of mine – and apprenticeships are central to this.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without an apprenticeship. Grounds management is a brilliant career, and we need more young people coming through to fill the gaps that are opening up. Apprenticeships can help clubs and organisations find and develop ambitious young professionals.”

“If you don’t have an apprenticeship scheme in place, there’s support available, including from the government. You can also check out the GMA website for more information on training and career pathways.”

For more information about hiring an apprentice, go to www.apprenticeships.gov.uk

To learn more about career and training in grounds management, go to: www.thegma.org.uk

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Martin Lishman head to SALTEX

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Martin Lishman head to SALTEX: Martin Lishman Ltd is a specialist manufacturer of Compact Amenity Sprayers. The Mini-Spray, Midi-Spray and Micro-Spray models are suitable for a wide range of amenity spraying applications including golf courses, sports turf, school playing fields and paddock spraying, with users consistently reporting excellent results.

The Martin Lishman sprayer range includes trailed, ATV mounted, demountable and self-propelled models with tank sizes ranging from 70 to 600 litres and boom widths from 1 metre to 8 metres.

Martin Lishman head to SALTEX

Martin Lishman head to SALTEX

This year at Saltex, Martin Lishman Ltd are thrilled to introduce the Nano-Spray to their line-up of compact amenity sprayers.

The little sibling to the industry-leading Micro-Spray, the Nano-Spray is an ultra-compact, 36 litre, fully-electric self-propelled sprayer that delivers a high precision spray application with no impact on fine turf.

Targeted for use on smaller amenity areas and serving as an invaluable tool for contractors, the Nano-Spray is small enough to fit through most gateways and comes fully equipped with an array of professional-grade features.

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Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman

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Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman: Using data and the GrasPro system, Harlequins F.C Head Groundsman Adam Witchell has made a quick start to his first job in rugby.

With decades worth of experience in football, Adam brings extensive turf knowledge to the role, but knew there would be a learning curve with changing sports.

Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman

Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman

Working on behalf of Nurture Landscapes at The Stoop, Adam started in July 2022. With the grow-in complete and no performance data to reference, he started collating information.

“The first thing I wanted was a data recording platform, and GrasPro is always the one I will go straight to,” he said.

“I’ve always been quite data-driven. If I don’t have the numbers, I can’t just look at the pitch and work it out. Without the numbers, it’s just an opinion.

“I think it’s beneficial straight away. For example, when recording the moisture levels and water, I could look back and think it seemed to get a bit more growth at these times. Using the weather reports, you can see the difference in temperature between the highs and lows and find out the evening temperatures were slightly colder at that time. So, it’s nothing to do with the products you’ve used. You just didn’t have the residual temperature in the evening that will help the grass continue.

“Regardless if there was performance quality data or not, I’d still be doing the same because this was all new to me. Even if there was data, I’d still want to see mine, because what I’m doing in rugby might not have the same outcome as it previously has on a football pitch.

“So, I’ll know the products that have and haven’t worked during the grow-in. Next year, I can look at what I’ve done on the GrasPro system and alter and change. Even if it’s just the amount of product I put down or the regularity of applying it.”

 Building Trust

For Adam, an early part of the job is gaining the trust of his new employers, Nurture Landscapes and Harlequins, and a large part of that is his monthly reports, which he sees as vital.

“I write a report to Nurture and Harlequins every month, and it details all the information on what I’ve done, when I’ve done it and the products and maintenance.

“I take that directly from GrasPro because you can download graphs, works and charts and put them in the report. It makes my monthly report writing much easier and much more in-depth.

“I could write a load down and bore them with war and peace and detail. But if you can see graphs and see what’s been done, it makes it easier and quicker for them. I find they are more receptive to visual reports.

“What I have found with rugby is the budgets aren’t quite as big as I’ve had with football. So, I have to get the most out of what I use because there isn’t the option of an unlimited budget.

“There’s always pressure to get it right the first time because I’ve got Nurture Landscapes who have employed me and Harlequins who have taken me on. Their previous groundsman was here for 12 years, and now, this new guy is coming who might do things a bit differently, which people will keep an eye on.

“You’ve got to get results or explain what you’re doing just to get that trust with Nurture and Harlequins.”

Setting Rugby Specific KPIs

Even though he is only six months into the role, Adam is in the early stages of collaboration with the playing and medical staff.

Moisture was one of the most significant learning curves early on, with Adam aiming for the standard 20%-24% used in football. He quickly discovered this caused digging up during scrums and mauls, and by referring back to his data, he was able to see a higher moisture level was required.

Sharing the data to prepare the pitch can also benefit the coaching staff, and eventually, Adam is hoping to benchmark the pitch to reduce injuries.

He explains: “I can look back on what was a good and bad game, then I can start speaking to the coaches about how I’m preparing the pitch.

“I’ll test it before just to let the coaches know the moisture, this is what it was like at this game, and this is how it held together better.

“Then they will find out going forward the more I take the data that they can set their players up slightly differently, maybe. So they are starting to engage a little bit more on the playing side with the data that I’m recording to help them set up for a game.

“Hopefully, moving forward, it will help with player recovery and development. If we find that players are cramping up at a certain time during games, we can start looking at hardness, traction and moisture as well. And when we start putting them together, I think we’ll start seeing data and values. And then working with the medical department and making it a bit safer, and then hopefully working to have a surface which they can use that does cause less injuries.

“That’s far off, and I haven’t got there with them, but I am hoping using GrasPro and all the data I record, I can push that forward and work with the sports scientists a little bit more in how we can set the pitch, so there are fewer injuries.”

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Soil Scout head to SALTEX

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Soil Scout head to SALTEX: Leading soil monitoring solution provider Soil Scout is pleased to announce that we will once again be exhibiting at Europe’s largest free sports turf, amenities, and landscaping trade show, SALTEX on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 November at Birmingham’s NEC. 

Following a very successful first appearance at the 2021 show we have once again teamed up with our partner Turf Lighting Solutions (TLS) to share a much larger open stand space, you can find us in a central location on stand H081.

Soil Scout head to SALTEX

Soil Scout head to SALTEX

You will be guaranteed a warm welcome with team members from Soil Scout headquarters in Finland including CEO Jalmari Talola on-hand to answer any questions you have beside our UK-based Sales & Sports Turf Specialist, Nick Durkin. Having previously worked in the professional football turf industry at Chelsea FC, Wembley Stadium and Derby County, Nick has a wealth of practical experience and technical knowledge.

SALTEX attendees are also encouraged not to miss out on our exclusive special offer! For the duration of the show you can purchase one of our Soil Scout Starter Kits with a very generous 20% discount. With only 25 kits available it’s a deal that is not to be missed! The Starter Kit is the ideal soil monitoring package for first-time stadium, training ground or golf course installations. The kit comprises six sensors, one base station and all necessary antennas and cables. But that’s not all, this special offer package will also include one year’s subscription to the Soil Scout Hub and free online training from our expert technical team.

Visitors to the stand will also be able to have a first-look at our newly developed dual-depth sensor (DDS) and pick up a copy of our packed Sensor magazine. The ground-breaking DDS gives the well-known Hydra sensor an additional sensing head – interconnected with a cable. The main sensor will continue to perform the radio communication, it can be buried in shallow ground to give an improved range, whilst the second-sensor can deliver measurement data from very deep. All from the same hole and with an excellent battery life of over ten years.

Pete Ashworth is the Head Groundsman at Preston North End and has been at the club for 17 years. Preston has recently installed Soil Scout and Pete told us; “It’s almost like a comfort blanket, knowing you’re not overdoing it or letting it get too dry.

“I’m always looking at the dashboard and it gives us that extra bit of belief that everything we are doing on the pitch is right.”

John McLoughlin is the Course Manager at Wallasey Golf Club and another user of the Soil Scout solution. “What drew me to Soil Scout is the live data you get every 20 minutes. Having that at your fingertips is unique in the industry. I also think it’s quite nice to feel like you’re in control. So when you’re at home and going through a dry spell, for peace of mind, it’s great.”

John continued; “There can be times when the greens are drying out or getting too wet, and being able to check that takes a lot of pressure off you, it gives you peace of mind.”

Soil Scout provides the most advanced fully buried underground wireless soil sensor and monitoring solution for professionals in sports turf maintenance, golf courses and agriculture giving real-time data measuring soil moisture, temperature and salinity. To find out more visit – www.soilscout.com

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