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SoilBoost EA: What the Field Trial and Research Actually Show
SoilBoost EA is a leonardite-derived humic acid soil conditioner. In a registration trial on banana seedlings commissioned by Kudzu Seeds Trading (FPA Experimental Use Permit No. 3227, PCA-Davao Research Center), treated plants were taller with more leaves, and soil water-holding capacity was 88.7 percent versus 80.0 percent in the untreated control; the trial report gives these differences as significant at p less than 0.01. A peer-reviewed meta-analysis of 120 articles reports average gains of about 12 percent in crop yield and 27 percent in nitrogen use efficiency from humic acid amendment, evidence for humic acid as a class rather than for SoilBoost EA specifically. This page sets out the trial, its limits and the wider research, so you can judge it on the data.
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What did the field trial find?
SoilBoost EA was evaluated in a bioefficacy trial commissioned by Kudzu Seeds Trading for Philippine product registration under the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA Experimental Use Permit No. 3227). The trial was a randomized complete block design (6 treatments, 3 replications) run by an FPA-accredited researcher at the PCA-Davao Research Center on tissue-cultured Lacatan banana seedlings, and was certified as following Good Agricultural Practices. It is an unpublished, company-commissioned registration trial registered to Kudzu Seeds Trading, not a peer-reviewed study, and we label it that way in our Evidence Hub. It covered one crop (banana seedlings), one site and one season, so it does not show how SoilBoost EA performs on other crops or soils.
| Measured outcome (3 months after application) | Finding |
|---|---|
| Plant growth vs unfertilized control | Taller seedlings, greater girth, and more leaves (significant at p less than 0.01) |
| Strongest overall growth | Balanced fertilizer program combined with SoilBoost EA. SoilBoost EA is a soil conditioner used alongside fertilizer, not a fertilizer replacement |
| Soil chemistry | Raised soil organic matter, available phosphorus and potassium, and lifted soil pH |
| Water-holding capacity | 88.7 percent versus 80.0 percent in the untreated control, with soil drying out more slowly |
Source: Eroy, M. N. (2019). Bioefficacy terminal report: SoilBoost EA on tissue-cultured Lacatan banana, FPA Experimental Use Permit No. 3227. PCA-Davao Research Center, Ula, Tugbok, Davao City (November 2018 to February 2019), for registrant Kudzu Seeds Trading. Unpublished registration report. A summary is available on request, and our evidence-labelling method is in the Evidence Hub.
What does the wider research show?
Two peer-reviewed meta-analyses summarise how crops respond to humic substances. They are about humic acid as a class, not about SoilBoost EA specifically, and responses vary widely between studies.
| Source | Finding (meta-analytic averages) |
|---|---|
| Ma, Cheng and Zhang (2024), Agronomy 14(12): 2763 | About +12 percent crop yield (95 percent confidence interval 10 to 13), +27 percent nitrogen use efficiency and +17 percent nitrogen uptake on average, from 120 articles and 479 paired field observations. Cash crops and upland cereals responded better than paddy rice |
| Rose et al. (2014), Advances in Agronomy 124: 37-89 | Shoot dry weight +22 percent (plus or minus 4) and root dry weight +21 percent (plus or minus 6) on average, across 81 studies and over 700 observations. The shoot response was 28 percent under highly stressful conditions and 18 percent otherwise. About half of the shoot studies and a third of the root studies showed gains of no more than 5 percent |
Ma, Cheng and Zhang (2024) found the response strongest where annual rainfall exceeds 300 mm and mean annual temperature exceeds 10 C, and in soils of moderate pH (6 to 8) or low total nitrogen. Many tropical plantation soils are more acidic than that, so check your own soil analysis before planning on these averages.
How are humic substances thought to work?
These are mechanisms described in reviews of humic substances in general. They were not measured in the SoilBoost EA trial.
Nutrient chelation
Humic and fulvic molecules can form complexes with micronutrients such as iron, zinc and copper, which may help keep them available to roots.
Nutrient retention
Humic substances carry charged sites that can hold nutrient cations such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and ammonium. How much a field application changes a soil's nutrient retention has not been established for SoilBoost EA.
Root activity
A review reports that humic substances act on root nutrient transporters and on genes and enzymes of nitrogen assimilation (Nardi, Schiavon and Francioso (2021)), and low-molecular-weight humic acid has been reported to up-regulate nitrate-uptake genes (background cited by Ma, Cheng and Zhang 2024).
Soil structure
Humic substances applied to soil have been reported to improve the stability of soil aggregates (Nardi, Schiavon and Francioso (2021)). A review of humic products notes that more work is needed under field conditions (Olk et al. (2018)).
What is in it?
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Source material | 100 percent leonardite ore |
| Humic and fulvic content | Leonardite-derived (qualitative; we do not publish a percentage figure) |
| pH | 3.84 (acidic concentrate) |
| Sulphur | Approximately 0.45 percent |
| Micronutrients | Chelated iron, zinc, and copper |
Work out the quantity for your block, crop, and application method with the free SoilBoost EA application rate calculator, or see the SoilBoost EA product page. Pack sizes, minimum order and lead time are confirmed on the quotation.
Frequently asked questions
Is SoilBoost EA a fertilizer?
No. It is a soil conditioner, not a fertilizer, pesticide or plant protection product. It does not supply NPK itself and is used alongside a balanced fertilizer program.
Who ran the trial?
The trial was commissioned by Kudzu Seeds Trading for Philippine product registration and run by an FPA-accredited researcher at the PCA-Davao Research Center under FPA Experimental Use Permit No. 3227, following Good Agricultural Practices. It is an unpublished, company-commissioned registration trial, not a peer-reviewed study, and we label it that way in our Evidence Hub.
Who makes SoilBoost EA?
SoilBoost EA is manufactured exclusively for Chemiseed Sdn. Bhd. and Kudzu Seeds Trading. Kudzu Seeds Trading, the Philippines-based sister company of Chemiseed Sdn. Bhd., supplies it to buyers across the Philippines and, on request, worldwide from Davao City.
Which crops is it for?
Tropical plantation and tree crops including oil palm, rubber, coconut, cacao, durian, and banana, used alongside a balanced fertilizer program.
Request the trial summary and a quotation
Tell us your crop, area, and country and our technical team will share the trial summary and prepare a quotation. We reply within one business day (Philippine time).
Request a quotationSources
- Eroy, M. N. (2019). Bioefficacy terminal report: SoilBoost EA on tissue-cultured Lacatan banana, FPA Experimental Use Permit No. 3227. PCA-Davao Research Center, for registrant Kudzu Seeds Trading. Unpublished registration report.
- Ma, Y., Cheng, X. and Zhang, Y. (2024). The Impact of Humic Acid Fertilizers on Crop Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency: A Meta-Analysis. Agronomy 14(12): 2763. doi:10.3390/agronomy14122763
- Rose, M.T., Patti, A.F., Little, K.R., Brown, A.L., Jackson, W.R. and Cavagnaro, T.R. (2014). A Meta-Analysis and Review of Plant-Growth Response to Humic Substances: Practical Implications for Agriculture. Advances in Agronomy 124: 37-89. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-800138-7.00002-4
- Nardi, S., Schiavon, M. and Francioso, O. (2021). Chemical Structure and Biological Activity of Humic Substances Define Their Role as Plant Growth Promoters. Molecules 26(8): 2256. doi:10.3390/molecules26082256
- Olk, D.C. et al. (2018). Humic products in agriculture: potential benefits and research challenges, a review. Journal of Soils and Sediments 18. doi:10.1007/s11368-018-1916-4