My Shopping Cart
High PK is a concentrated liquid fertiliser formulated to supply high levels of phosphorus and potassium at periods of peak demand such as flowering and fruit set. Both nutrients are essential for high-yield production, where phosphorus provides energy for cell division and root development, while potassium supports carbohydrate production, translocation, and fruit quality. High PK is ideal for use when root uptake is limited due to cold, waterlogging, or rapid crop growth, ensuring sustained flowering and fruit development.
| Phosphorus (as Dibasic Phosphate) | 18 % w/v 26.5 % w/w |
| Potassium | 37 % w/v 27.1 % w/w |
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Colour | Clear |
| Specific Gravity | 1.62 - 1.66 |
| pH | 8 - 9 |
| Sizes Available | 20 Litre, 200 Litre, 1000 Litre |
| Crop Type | Rate / ha | Dilution | Application Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 4 - 6 L/ha | 1:20 | Apply at first flower and during boll fill to improve yield and fibre quality |
| Winter Crops | 3 - 5 L/ha | 1:20 | Apply after flowering or pre-flowering if crops are low in phosphorus or potassium |
| Summer Crops | 3 - 5 L/ha | 1:50 | Apply early to mid-season to correct deficiencies and support fruiting |
| Legumes | 3 - 5 L/ha | 1:50 | Apply early to mid-season for optimum pod fill and plant health |
| General Volume Rate | 1 L/50 L | - | Suitable for use in standard spray programs for foliar feeding |
| Container Type | Dimensions (mm) | Weight | Pallet / Load Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Litre Drum | 280 × 220 × 420 | 30 kg per drum | — | Used for smaller AgroBest product batches or specialty formulations. Compatible with standard freight and pallet shipments. |
| 200 Litre Drum (on Pallet) | Individual Drum: 590 × 590 × 920 Pallet Pack: 1200 × 1200 × 1050 |
260 kg total per pallet | 1–4 drums per pallet configuration | Ideal for bulk quantities of AgroBest crop nutrition or protection products. Provides safe, stable transport on standard pallets. |
| 1000 Litre IBC | 1200 × 1000 × 1160 | 1300 kg total | Forklift and pallet-jack compatible | Preferred for large-scale AgroBest liquid fertiliser, brine, or nutrient storage. Suitable for high-volume distribution. |
*All sizes and weights are approximate and may vary slightly depending on the specific AgroBest formulation and packaging batch.
High PK provides a rapid source of phosphorus and potassium in highly soluble forms for immediate plant uptake. It corrects early-season deficiencies, supports flowering and fruit set, and enhances carbohydrate movement within the plant. Its compatibility with a wide range of agricultural chemicals reduces spray frequency and improves operational efficiency, making it a cost-effective tool for managing high-yield production systems.
How does High PK improve flowering, fruit set, and crop productivity?
High PK works by providing plants with a readily available source of phosphorus and potassium at times of high demand. Its concentrated formulation ensures rapid nutrient uptake through the foliage, driving key energy and carbohydrate processes vital for reproductive growth. The main benefits include:
Consistent use of High PK during key growth stages ensures balanced nutrition, improved fruit development, and higher yield quality in a wide range of crops.
| File | Title | File Description | Type | Section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gg.pdf | High PK Fertiliser | High PK liquid fertiliser supplies fast-acting phosphorus and potassium for flowering, fruit set, and yield quality. Ideal for all crops. | Catalogue | Document |
URGENT FERTILISER SUPPLY UPDATE – MAP & DAP SHORTAGE
This summer cropping season is facing unprecedented challenges in fertiliser supply. Availability of MAP fertiliser (monoammonium phosphate) and DAP fertiliser (diammonium phosphate) is expected to remain extremely limited worldwide, with serious implications for growers planning their nutrient programs.
Since 2021, China has imposed strict quotas and inspection rules on phosphate fertiliser exports to protect domestic prices and safeguard food security.
The impact has been dramatic:
Although Morocco, Russia, the USA, and Saudi Arabia also produce MAP and DAP, they cannot offset the sharp drop in Chinese exports.
The result is:
For olive growers and other professional producers, the impacts are already being felt:
Do not wait for traditional ordering windows. Place orders immediately and consider forward contracting for next season. Securing current pricing now helps protect your operation against higher costs and potential shortages later.
AgroBest is an Australian manufacturer with a wide range of crop protection and liquid fertiliser products to help keep your olive trees healthy and productive. This guide gives you a practical overview of the AgroBest range available through The Olive Centre and how they can fit into your nutritional groove program across the season. We’ll walk through foliar feeds, soil conditioners, pest and disease support products, spray adjuvants and biostimulants, explaining when to use and how to help with common olive problems. Whether you’re dealing with nutritional needs or tired trees that just aren’t performing, this guide is designed to help you quickly match the right AgroBest product to the needs of your grove. A soil and leaf analysis is recommended to narrow down the correct product(s).
Foliar nutrition is critical for addressing immediate nutrient needs and boosting olive tree productivity. AgroBest offers several NPK foliar fertilisers and trace element sprays designed for quick uptake through leaves. These products provide balanced macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) often enhanced with micronutrients or biostimulants to improve efficacy.
Healthy soil is the foundation of productive olive groves. AgroBest offers products that improve soil fertility, structure, and microbiology - ensuring roots have access to nutrients and water. These soil conditioners and granular/liquid fertilisers are applied to the soil (via drench, fertigation, or banding) rather than sprayed on foliage.
Using these soil-oriented products, olive growers can address issues like poor soil fertility, low organic matter, or imbalanced nutrients in the root zone. For instance, if an olive grove is suffering from nutrient lock-up or weak root growth, a combination of humic-enriched Kickstart and organic GroMate can rebuild soil life. If soil calcium or pH is an issue, products like CarboCal can supply calcium in a plant-accessible form that strengthens soil and trees alike. Healthier soil translates to stronger, more resilient olive trees with better uptake of nutrients and water.
While AgroBest’s focus is on nutrition, some of its products also play a role in crop protection - either by directly deterring stresses or by strengthening the plant against pests and diseases. Olive growers face challenges such as black scale insects, fungal diseases like peacock spot and anthracnose, as well as environmental stresses (frost, heat) that can predispose trees to problems. AgroBest products can be part of an integrated strategy to tackle these issues.
It’s important to note that AgroBest does not produce synthetic pesticides or fungicides - instead, their offerings focus on prevention and plant strength. For active infestations like a severe black scale attack or an anthracnose epidemic, growers would still use specific registered pesticides (e.g. a petroleum spray or an IGR for scale, or a copper fungicide for anthracnose/fungal issue). However, integrating AgroBest products could mean fewer such interventions are needed. By using nutritionals and protectants like Envy and Spraytech Oil proactively, olive growers can reduce stress and pest pressure on their groves. This integrated approach leads to a more sustainable pest and disease management, leveraging plant health to fight off challenges naturally. Always test product compatibility before mixing.
Adjuvants are “helper” products that improve the performance of agrochemical sprays - ensuring that nutrients or pesticides stick as intended. AgroBest’s adjuvants are especially valuable in olive production, where the undersides of leaves and the waxy surfaces of olive foliage can make spray coverage difficult. Using the right adjuvant means more of your spray actually reaches the target and stays there, rather than bouncing off or drifting away. Two key adjuvant products in the AgroBest range are:
AgroBest AgroChelate - An organic acid concentrate used as a water conditioner, compatibility agent, and nutrient uptake enhancer. Agro “Chelate” is essentially a blend of organic acids and amino acids. When added to a spray tank or fertigation system, it acidifies the solution slightly (bringing pH to a plant-friendly level), chelates micronutrients (preventing them from reacting with other chemicals or getting locked up), and improves the mixing of otherwise incompatible inputs. For example, olive growers often want to tank-mix calcium with phosphorus fertilisers or combine multiple trace elements - this can cause precipitation or antagonism. AgroBest’s Chelate product helps keep such mixes stable and ensures the nutrients remain in a form the plant can absorb. It also acts as a mild biostimulant due to its amino acid content, so foliar feeds with AgroChelate might show improved uptake into leaves. In summary, Agro Chelate is used as an adjuvant to condition spray water (especially if it’s alkaline or hard), to prevent clogging and leaf burn, and to facilitate smooth absorption of nutrients through the leaf cuticle. It’s particularly useful in foliar trace element programs and fertigation systems. (Available in liquid form; e.g. 5L and 20L containers.)
Using adjuvants like these is highly recommended in olive spray programs. Olives have small, waxy leaves and a dense canopy; getting sprays to penetrate and stick can be challenging. By using Spraytech OIL, growers report more uniform coverage and better results from both pest control and foliar feeding efforts (the improved uptake means you might achieve desired results with lower application rates, saving cost). Similarly, with AgroBest’s chelating adjuvant, complex tank mixes become more stable - meaning you can, for instance, mix your zinc, boron, and magnesium foliar feeds with confidence that each will remain available to the tree. In sum, AgroBest adjuvants ensure you get the maximum benefit from every spray, an important consideration given the time and cost involved in spraying an olive grove.
Biostimulants are products that don’t fit the traditional “fertiliser” mould of simply providing N-P-K, but instead contain natural compounds (like seaweed extracts, humic acids, beneficial microbes, etc.) that enhance plant growth and resilience. AgroBest has embraced this technology by offering several biostimulant products that can give olive trees an extra edge - improving root growth, boosting stress tolerance, and increasing nutrient uptake efficiency. These are especially relevant to olives, which often face stresses like drought, high salinity, and poor soils.
By integrating biostimulants into their regime, olive growers can tackle challenges like nutrient-poor soils, irregular bearing, or climate stress in a more natural way. For example, facing a scenario of “off-year” in an alternate-bearing olive grove, one might apply SeaFil or Fulfil to reinvigorate the trees and potentially improve the next bloom. In drought-prone areas or saline irrigation conditions, biostimulants help olive trees maintain growth and yield where they otherwise might suffer. These products do not replace standard NPK fertilisers but rather supplement the nutrition program by ensuring that the plant can make the most of nutrients and overcome growth hurdles. They are akin to vitamins and probiotics for your olive trees - not absolutely required, but when used properly, they often lead to healthier, more productive plants.
Product Sizes & Usage Note: Most AgroBest biostimulants are available in various sizes to suit different scales of operation - from 1-5 L bottles for small groves up to 200 L drums for large farms. They are generally applied at low concentrations (e.g. a few litres per hectare as a foliar spray). It’s important to follow recommended timing - many biostimulants show best results when applied at specific growth stages (like root flush, pre-flowering, or stress events).
In Australian agriculture, understanding the hidden nutrients in your soil and plants can make the difference between an average harvest and a thriving one. Leaf and soil analysis give farmers, agronomists, olive growers, and even hobby gardeners a scientific window into their crops’ health. By regularly testing both the soil and the leaves (foliage) of your olive trees or other plants, you gain precise data to fine-tune fertiliser use, correct deficiencies, and boost overall productivity. The result is healthier olive groves, higher yields of quality fruit, and more sustainable soil management - an investment that pays off in both the short and long term through improved crop performance and soil health.
In Summary, AgroBest’s range of products on The Olive Centre spans everything from core fertilisers to innovative biostimulants, all geared toward improving plant nutrition and resilience. By grouping products into foliar feeds, soil conditioners, protection aids, adjuvants, and biostimulants, we see that each category addresses different aspects of olive grove management:
Sources: The information in this article is from The Olive Centre’s product listings and knowledge base, including technical descriptions of AgroBest products and their recommended uses. Each product mentioned is available through The Olive Centre; for detailed application rates and guidelines, please refer to the specific product pages and labels. By reviewing these resources and field experiences, we’ve provided an integrated overview to help you make informed decisions about which AgroBest products can best address the needs of your olive grove.
Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni), commonly known as Q-fly, is Australia’s most economically significant horticultural pest. Its widespread impact on the stone fruit, citrus, and vegetable industries is well documented. However, its interactions with olives are less widely understood and often underestimated.
For olive growers, Q-fly occupies a grey zone i.e. it is not a primary pest, yet it can cause issues in olives. Under the right conditions, it can shift from a background risk to a notable issue affecting both production and fruit quality. This article explores the current scientific understanding of Q-fly in olive systems and outlines practical implications for commercial growers.
Q-fly is a native Australian species with an exceptionally broad host range, attacking more than 200 fruit and vegetable species. Its success stems from high adaptability and it thrives across varied climatic zones, readily shifts between host crops, and persists in mixed agricultural and peri-urban environments.
Female flies lay eggs directly into fruit, where larvae feed on the pulp. This internal feeding leads to fruit breakdown, premature drop, and entry points for secondary fungal pathogens. Population build-up is strongly driven by temperature, humidity, and host availability, with rapid increases occurring during warm, wet conditions.
Olives (Olea europaea) are generally considered a minor or occasional host for Queensland fruit fly. However, this label can be misleading.
Australian research and field observations show that:
Q-fly females can and do oviposit in olive fruit.
Larval development can occur when conditions are favourable.
Damage tends to be sporadic but can become locally significant.
Importantly, olives often serve as a late-season host. When preferred summer fruits are no longer available, olive groves can help sustain fruit fly populations into autumn, integrating them into the wider ecological landscape supporting Q-fly.
For most olive growers, Q-fly is not a constant threat, but risk escalates under certain conditions:
Olives frequently remain on trees after stone fruit and other summer crops have finished. Residual fly populations may then target olives as an alternative host.
Seasons with above-average rainfall and humidity can trigger significant Q-fly surges, increasing attacks on less-preferred hosts like olives.
Larger-fruited table olive varieties tend to be more susceptible than smaller oil cultivars, likely due to greater suitability for oviposition.
Groves located near stone fruit orchards, citrus blocks, or unmanaged backyard hosts face substantially higher pressure. Because Q-fly is highly mobile, isolated on-farm management has limited impact.
Direct yield losses from Q-fly in olives are usually modest. The more serious consequences relate to fruit quality.
Egg-laying punctures (“stings”) and larval feeding cause premature softening, fruit drop, and internal breakdown.
Q-fly entry wounds create ideal infection sites for fungal pathogens such as anthracnose. This can accelerate fruit decay, increase rot incidence, and compromise outcomes during oil extraction.
Infested fruit can elevate free fatty acids (FFA), introduce oxidative defects, and shorten shelf life. Even low levels of damaged fruit can affect overall oil quality in premium production systems.
Q-fly is opportunistic, management in olives should be integrated, cost-effective, and scaled to actual risk.
Monitoring
Start with reliable monitoring using:
Sanitation remains one of the most effective tools:
Protein bait sprays targeting female flies are a proven option, especially in higher-risk areas. Their efficacy increases markedly when applied as part of coordinated area-wide programs rather than isolated efforts.
Area-Wide Approaches
Research demonstrates that Q-fly is best managed regionally through:
Olive growers benefit significantly from participating in these broader initiatives.
Climate variability is likely to reshape Q-fly dynamics. Warmer temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns may extend the fly’s active season, improve overwintering survival, and increase pressure in regions previously considered lower risk. Combined with expanding horticultural plantings that provide continuous host availability, Q-fly is expected to remain a persistent secondary consideration for the Australian olive industry.
Queensland fruit fly is not the primary pest challenge for olive growers, but it is a highly adaptable opportunist within the same production environment. In most seasons, it remains in the background; in challenging seasons, it can contribute to quality downgrades, disease pressure, and market complications.
The recommended approach is not alarm, but informed awareness: monitor early, manage regionally, and recognise that olive groves form part of the broader fruit fly ecosystem rather than existing outside it.
