Using technology to nurture nature

Organic farming in the conventional sense of using natural methods like permaculture and integrated animal husbandry practices have shown that depleted soils can be coaxed back into life. The process is long and slow; for after all nurturing nature cannot be hastened.

Technology has answers; though not in its fullest sense. The primary result of soil analysis does give an accurate picture of the mineral content of the soil. The essential nutrients that these minerals are supposed to give for the plants are also calculated. What is lacking is the delivery mechanism.

In its natural state fertile soil is blessed with micro-organisms; these micro-organisms help the plants to assimilate the minerals (which the micro-organisms convert from dead organic matter) and various nutrients. The accuracy of the nutrients that the plant assimilates is a complex reaction of photosynthesis (the conversion of sunlight or light energy to a chemical energy) that fuels all of the plant's activities. This complexity is the source for essential nutrients for the various parts of the plant. For example polysaccharides (type of carbohydrates like cellulose) are circulated throughout the plant while at the same time a portion of it flows back into the soil through the root system (like a two way highway) for production of fulvic acids. This being complex is also life threatening as this circuitous route is akin to an electric circuit. Any imbalance in the system can cause adverse reactions leading to fatal consequences for the plant.

So two things become very clear for healthy plant growth; accurate nutrition in the quantities specified and essential nutrients delivered at the proper time. A few organizations devoted to organic farming supplements have been quite successful in creating a water soluble mix that contains the desired nutrients both qualitatively and quantitatively. Being water soluble enables the root system of the plant for the correct uptake.

Soil Analysis – Essential for producing high-quality crops

Cultivation of crops is done in a wide variety of soil types and the requirement for fertilizers depends on the type of soil. Cultivating a huge land or even a small garden incurs huge investment and if the soil quality is not good, growing plants and crops becomes difficult as well as very costly. Hence, knowing the nutrient content as well as the pH level in the soil is very essential. Most often people tend to over-use the different plant nutrients, which create an imbalance in the soil, resulting in harming both the plants and the environment.

Soil analysis is the best way to know the quality of soil. By testing the soil quality, you will be able to know about the pH level in the soil as well as the nutrient contents. This will help you to use the right amount of fertilizer that is required for growing a particular crop. This is very essential for organic farming. For soil testing, some samples of the earth are taken to a laboratory and it is tested to find its quality along with the issues that might pose hindrance in the growth of plants. This process helps in maximizing the production by using the accurate amount of fertilizer. Along with soil testing, 1:2 water extract analysis is also important before planting crops. It is a method that is employed to measure the water soluble nutrients present in the soil and deciding on the amount that plants are capable of taking in.

Sulphur being an essential nutrient for plant growth, it is important to test the amount contained in the soil for further application. Since with time the content of sulphur in the soil has declined to a great extent, in most cases it is applied by spraying. In the similar way, amino acid chelate is used in organic farming owing to the various benefits it offers. However, the amount depends on the type of soil, which can be measured by testing the soil. Agrilibrium is a company in South Africa that manufactures as well as promotes a variety of nutrients for plants. They also provide soil testing service along with other such services to promote organic farming in the region.

How Analyses by Agrilibrium Professionals Can Help, Farmers Improve Soil Quality?

Founded in 2001, Agrilibrium is committed to providing products and analysis to farmers that help them yield better crops. The company develops high quality products for organic farming in South Africa, making way for an agriculture boom in the country. It assists in the production of better yields that could prove to be beneficial to the farmers not only in the African country, but also in other parts of the world. The positive efforts of specialists within the company has resulted in magnificent products and analysis techniques, which determine the quality of the soil, the nutrients available and the steps required to make the soil better yielding one.

Some of their major analysis and techniques are discussed below.

Soil Analysis: In simple words, it means chemical analysis of soil minerals carried out to determine crop available nutrients. Alongside, it also helps to find the soil structure, composition and the ratio of harmful compounds in the soil. By conducting this analysis, farmers get a better picture of their soil type; they are able to determine which crops will yield better results and flourish more. Samples from different parts of the field are collected and the analysis is carried out.

The results thus obtained help to determine which products are to be used on the soil to increase its nutrient content. For example, Seed Speed is one such product, which is a fulvic, and amino acid chelated seed treatment that helps in most favourable seedling growth and germination. This product corrects and balances the nutrient levels in the seedling root zone thus removing physiological imbalances.

1:2 Water Extract Analysis: This analysis is a very effective tool in determining the availability of nutrients. The water-soluble nutrients in the soil are measured and after analysis, the number of nutrients available for uptake by plant roots is determined.  The analysis is carried out in a number of places so that farmers are able to understand which parts are fertile with nutrients and which need treatment. They can also plant crops accordingly.

The field experts carry out both the analyses so that they can suggest accurate steps to farmers. These analyses are the first step to increasing the mineral and natural element content in the soil. Once the condition of the soil is determined properly through these methods, it becomes easier to choose the product that could lead to better yield.

To summarize, soil analysis and 1: 2 water extract analysis are the two main analyses that Agrilibrium carry out to determine the quality of soil and suggest products accordingly.

Advantages of 1:2 Water Extract Analysis

The use of 1:2 water extract analysis has been proven to be an effective method compared to the conventional 1:5 weight extract. The latter presents some difficulty in determining conductivity to evaluate the salt status, particularly for soils that contain a good volume of gypsum. Using the 1:2 extract method, which entails adding moist soil to two parts of water, the results were very accurate for chloride, phosphate, nitrogen, magnesium, potassium and conductivity when compared to the saturation extract. Perhaps one of the drawbacks using the 1:2 method is it's quite laborious. It's important to note, however, that the ratio of water will depend on the content of organic matter in your soil.

Is Knowing Your Soil Enough?

Essential soil analysis will give you a good idea of the mineral and nutrient content of your farm. The idea of course is that you can program an accurate crop nutrient cycle using the information you get from the results of the tests. But knowing the amount of salinity or alkalinity in your soil, for example, wouldn't be sufficient without knowing plant physiology. Just because your soil is rich in potassium and magnesium doesn't mean that the plant is going to absorb most of these minerals for its need. The water extract analysis allows you to determine the nutrients that are water soluble and what can be absorbed by the plant.

Benefits of Water Extract Analysis

Through the water extraction method, you will identity the types and amount of nutrients in the soil and the amount available for the plant. It will also give you an idea of how to program your inputs and fertilizer or amount of liquid sulphur for a healthier crop. Water extract is also the more cost-saving approach because you apply less nutrients after determining exactly how much portion of each of the minerals and nutrients is absorbed by the plant. It's also ecologically friendly because you can identify the imbalances in the soil and make the necessary actions to rectify the imbalance.

Chelation for Improved Nutrient Absorption

While in the subject of being environmentally conscious, the introduction of organic amino acid chelate fertilizer will help minerals and nutrients penetrate even the tippest point of the plant's leaf instead of staying at the roots. Technical description aside, think of the process of chelation as coating a mineral with a clear film which allows it to travel anywhere in the plant without dissolving or leaching.

Use Liquid Sulphur and Amino Acid Chelate Products for Root Growth

Recent studies in the South Africa have shown that roots play a more important role than first thought. The roots do not only ensure a healthy plant but it also acts as a communication system alerting the plant of the presence of toxic chemicals or harmful pests. Did you know that for every 10 problems encountered by plants, eight are related to unhealthy root? But why aren’t they given much attention than they deserve? That’s probably because they are buried underground and not seen as much. Liquid sulphur can help promote a healthy root which in turn results in a healthy plant.

The Danger of Human Intervention

Throughout evolutionary history, nature has been happily trudging along. Then the humans arrived. Modern practices in agriculture introduced by human beings have damaged in just a few decades what took nature millions of years to create. Human intervention such as toxic synthetic chemicals, mono-crop agriculture and GMOs all destroyed biodiversity.

This is why it’s important to go back to the basics. It’s amazing how some farmers use extensively chemical inputs and then they wonder why their plants are not growing as much as they should. It’s better than you don’t go against what nature has intended and instead maximize the potentials of the soil. The soil test analysis will offer a better picture of what you need to introduce into the soil to achieve equilibrium.

1:2 Water Extract Method

The 1:2 water extract analysis, or one part air dry soil and two parts water, is a bit of departure from the typical 1:5 water extract. The latter method poses some disadvantages particularly by determining accurately the amount of phosphate in the soil as well as the amount of salt especially in soils where there’s high ratio of gypsum.  The 1:2 water extraction method, meanwhile, was developed by Japanese workers and used soil in field-moist conditions instead of the air dry soil. This method shows a much more accurate correlation of nutrients and minerals existing in the soil.

Binding Minerals

Amino acid chelate products help in improving the structure of the root and its ability to pierce dense or brackish soils. Most commercially available products are soluble by water which makes it very easy to apply (you can even introduce it through your sprinkler system). It’s best combined with the use of agricultural sulphur to lower the pH level of alkaline soils and encourage plant growth.