The advantages of SW7 and how the unique formula crowns it the superior silicon wetting agent amongst imitators.
Whilst there are many imitators, SW7 is a superior silicon wetting agent that is unique to OMEX and has multiple advantages:
- Enhanced uptake of Plant Protection Products and nutrients due to a combination of improved leaf wetting and greater spray retention.
- SW7 is applied at half the rate of other silicon adjuvant products (a maximum rate of 0.1% of spray volume), saving growers money.
- It’s the crop safe choice for growers because SW7 has a lower inclusion rate of active ingredients of just 26% in SW7 compared to 87.2% and above in other silicon products. Therefore, the grower is not applying superfluous ingredients and risking crop safety.
- SW7 delivers plant available silicon at enhanced levels compared to alternative products (see below).
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Figure 1: The total silicon content of leaves assessed by Eurofins, mean of 3 reps per treatment. P= 0.056.
In the graph above, SW7 applied at a rate of 0.1% within a foliar spray delivered more silicon to the leaves of a lettuce leaf compared to a 1.5% dilution of silicon phosphate which contained 29% Si. Although SW7 contains 9.52% Si w/v orthosilicate, this enhanced formulation can penetrate the leaf deeply and improve Si uptake.
Silicon is taken up by some crops such as strawberries and complexes with Calcium in the leaf lamina. The University of Hertfordshire have published a number of papers on silicon’s role within strawberry plants and this work can be seen here.
So, for SW7 the application rate is lower, so it is more cost effective, it contributes to silicon uptake for strawberries and there is less chance of phytotoxicity because the concentration of the actives which are being applied to the plant is also lower. It is the tried and tested choice for the grower.
Learn more about SW7