Jed did listen. BRAVO!
Additional Detail on Sekita ThermoPotash Product Trials
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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 25, 2011) -
Verde Potash (TSX VENTURE:AMZ) ("Verde" or the "Company") wishes to provide additional information regarding the ThermoPotash product trials conducted by Grupo Sekita Agronegocios ("Sekita"), a leading Brazilian agribusiness company. The trial program compared the agronomic efficiency of granular ThermoPotash with potassium chloride, on the productivity and quality of carrot crops. The trial showed no statistical difference between ThermoPotash, Verde's new proposed fertilizer, and potassium chloride (KCl) the most common potash fertilizer. In isolation this would be considered a positive result because the Company proposes that ThermoPotash be used as a substitute for KCl. However, there was also no statistical difference between carrots fertilized with KCl and the carrots that received no fertilizer at all (the control group of carrots). Given the performance of the unfertilized carrots our agronomists have deemed the tests inconclusive.
It is important to note that the agronomic trials performed at Sekita and our other development partners are not clinical efficacy trials, they are product trials allowing Verde's agronomists and partners to see how ThermoPotash reacts in real world conditions, allowing potential customers to experiment with how ThermoPotash can be seamlessly incorporated into their commercial operations. Agronomic efficacy of ThermoPotash has already been demonstrated in tests performed by the University of Uberlandia (see release August 11, 2010).
The test was inconclusive because the overall variation in productivity, considering the control group of carrots, was less than the statistical margin of error. Therefore the lack of conclusive results does not indicate product failure and does instruct the Company on how to better tailor future trials in commercial environments.
Sekita's trial was conducted under commercial conditions, which meant the application of ThermoPotash to fields that have been used in carrot production for several years. The local climate allows Sekita to plant crops back to back year round; so that thanks to carrot's short maturity cycle several yearly harvests are grown. The better than expected performance of the unfertilized control group of carrots was thus likely due to the presence of residual potash leftover from previous harvests.
Moreover, despite the lack of results in terms of agronomic productivity, agronomists from Verde and Sekita learned a lot from the trial. Sekita agronomists tested different application timings and mixtures of ThermoPotash and KCl. While, Verde agronomists discovered there was room for significant improvement by softening ThermoPotash's granules, which will enable better nutrient release.
Sekita is continuing to test ThermoPotash with oats, garlic, corn, soybeans, wheat and pasture for dairy cattle. Its farms are located less than 10km from the Cerrado Verde Project. Sekita hopes to utilize the slow release characteristics of ThermoPotash to provide a more sustainable and more efficient source of potash.
Commenting, Eduardo Sekita de Oliveira, Agronomic Director of Sekita said, "I am very encouraged by the ThermoPotash product. We, at Sekita, are pleased to partner with Verde in the development of this new fertilizer alternative for Brazil. We look forward to an ongoing relationship through the development process with a view to become a customer after the trials have been completed and the product proves satisfactory."
About Sekita
Sekita Agribusiness is one of the largest Brazilian producers of vegetables. Established in the 1970's, it currently has 350 permanent employees working in the production of garlic, carrots, corn, soybeans, wheat and milk. Their productive activities are distributed over 3000 hectares of farmland, located directly adjacent to Amazon's Cerrado Verde project. The group was one of the pioneers in adapting many crop plantation techniques to the Cerrado, Brazil's savannah, including the use of slow-release ThermoPhosphate fertilizer, limestone soil pH adjustment and crop rotation to control pests. Sekita carrots are famous throughout Brazil. It has also recently become one of the largest milk producers in the country.
About Verde Potash
Verde Potash, founded by Brazilians, is a mineral exploration and development company focused on fertilizers. The Company is developing the Cerrado Verde project in Brazil, a source of potash-rich rock from which Verde plans to produce a slow-release, non-chloride, multi-nutrient, fertilizer product named ThermoPotash. Founded as Amazon Mining in 2005, the Company changed its name to Verde Potash in April 2011 to better reflect its main business. The Company is also exploring for phosphate and limestone.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Verde Potash,
Jed Richardson, Vice President of Corporate Development |
