Field trials · South Africa
Potatoes in South Africa: 31% more yield, 52% less water
This pilot trial measured the combined effect of EVERGREEN in the soil and ECOFERT sprayed on the crop, on potato yield and quality.
Read the full report (PDF)Results
What the trial measured
+31,4 %total yield
15,7 t/hainstead of 12 t/ha
−52 %water
30 kg/haof EVERGREEN in the planting furrow
In pictures
Before and after: the measured difference
Without treatment12 t
EVERGREEN + ECOFERT15,7 t
Without treatment100
EVERGREEN + ECOFERT48
How it works
The water stays where the plant needs it
Mixed into the soil near the roots, the water retainer fills up at every watering or rainfall instead of letting the water evaporate or drain away. It then hands the water back to the plant, day after day. You water less often, and the plant never goes thirsty between two waterings.
Trial sheet
Where, when, by whom
- Crop : Potato (Buffelspoort BP13 variety)
- Place : Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Period : September 2025 – January 2026
- Run by : Afrinest Farm Group (Tzaneen, Limpopo)
- Products : EVERGREEN (water retainer) and ECOFERT (organic fertiliser)
Method
How the trial was run
- Rows of 10 m, repeated 5 times.
- Loamy soil (Avalon) with 15 to 18% clay; 26,667 plants per hectare.
- Planted by hand on 22 September 2025; harvested 25 to 31 January 2026.
- EVERGREEN laid by hand in the planting furrow; ECOFERT sprayed at 700 ml/ha.
- Conventional irrigation.
Observations
What to remember
- Larger, more even tubers.
- Less risk on the crop and a higher income for the farmer.
Other trials
The same products, on other crops
- Date palms in the Emirates: 82% less irrigation water
- Watermelons in Mexico: 60.5% less water and 30% more harvest
- Cotton in Turkey: yield almost doubled under water stress
- Maize in Turkey: 39% less water and 17% more yield
- Sugarcane in Java: 55% more harvest with EVERGREEN and ECOFERT
- Soybean in China: 11% more yield with a super-absorbent