The agronomist Philippe Ouaki Di Giorno has developed a cellulose hydroretentor.
It improves the recovery of plants and complants.
Its revolutions that are silent. For the past 20 years, without making a fuss, Philippe Ouaki Di Giorno and his invention, the Polyter, are changing the codes of agronomy. The principle is simple. It is a question of using a hydrorétenteur (similar to those present in the layers baby) to improve the hydration of the plants. Because most of the rainwater that seeps into the earth is not stored, but joins the aquifers. “There is 80% loss on a clay-humic soil and up to 96% in a sandy context”, informs the inventor. Polyter is an organic product made of cross linked cellulose, potassium polyacrylate and fertilizer. It looks like simple translucent granules, yet it can hold 165 to 300 times its weight in water. Three grams can keep half a liter of water in the form of gel, “says Philippe Ouaki Di Giorno. Concretely, the Polyter integrates with the ground, either at the plantation or by coring. According to the agronomist, he associates with the roots of the plant, like nodules, stores the water and becomes a real interface. “So the plant absorbs only what it really needs,” he says. This is not a simple release, which could lead to asphyxiation phenomena. In the vineyard, he advises an addition of ten grams per vine. Brought to the plantation, they allow putting the vines in the best possible context. Increase in root mass and fall in mortality. They will thus have a more important root development in the first years, ensuring a faster growth, but also a better implantation. They will be stronger in the future. “In 2016, I followed a château bordelais which planted ten hectares of this kind. He had 100% success, without water, while the year was very dry, notes Phi-lippe Ouaki Di Giorno. Similarly, on a two-year-old plot, we obtained a height of the plants at the collar level and a production equivalent to a four-year-old vine. “The interest is even more obvious on the complants, who thus manage to make their place and catch up despite stiff competition. Another effect induced by the product: it allows decompacting the soil, either by its mechanical properties or by the return of life earthworm. Polyter is then naturally degraded by soil microorganisms in an average of five years. “I have done a lot of analyzes of soil and substrates, reassures the inventor, we find no trace. Similarly, there is no migration in the plant. Used at 20-30 cm deep, it does not benefit weeds. And icing on the cake, it is compatible with a machine plantation. At a price of 24 Euros per kilo (24 cents per plant), the Polyter is quickly profitable compared to the drop in mortality of young plants and time saved watering …
