Getting Best Advantage From Soil Biology

Getting Best Advantage From Soil Biology

Peter Burton
17th May 2009

It has often been said that what grows above the ground is the visual manifestation of what grows below.
The most productive soils are those with the best physical structures and the greatest amount of humus.
DoloZest, the unique soil improver form Eco-Logic Soil Improvement, speeds the breakdown of litter on the soil surface, improves physical soil structures and increases humus formation.
Humus is the result of the breakdown of carbonaceous matter, which in pastoral systems is mostly dung, dead grass and roots. It contains proteins, lignin, fats, carbohydrates, and organic acids. The beneficial aspects of humus include:

1. It provides a storehouse of essential plant nutrients; for example, it stores over 95% of the nitrogen, 60% of the phosphorus, and 98% of the sulphur available to plants.

2. It helps make some nutrients more soluble and available to plants. Because of increased micro-organism activity during the warmer months, nutrients are released at the time of the plants greatest need. Acids in humus also slowly dissolve soil minerals and release nutrients.

3. It contains substances that stimulate plant growth and improve crop quality and resistance to pests and diseases.

4. It provides high water adsorption and holding capacity because of its spongy nature.

5. It contributes to good soil structure (good tilth) by helping make soil crumbly and porous. It also reduces wind and water erosion and makes soils easier to work.

6. It buffers the soil and protects plants from high salt levels, toxic chemicals, and drastic change in pH.

7. It provides food for the beneficial soil organisms, especially in the “pre-humus” form of fresh organic matter.

Fertile soils may contain more than 2000kg/ha of fungi. One of the most important being mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi stimulate clover growth. The fungi hyphae grow out from the clover root-hairs significantly increasing the volume of soil phosphorus is able to be extracted from.

MAF research in the late 1970’s showed that clover in soils with introduced mycorrhizal fungi were able to make better use of phosphate fertiliser and increase pasture production.
Overseas research shows that in grass-legume(clover) pastures mycorrhizal fungi infect both grass and clover forming hyphal interconnections between them allowing the transfer of nitrogen and phosphorus between the two.

DoloZest contains added mycorrhizal fungi and although the degree to which these introduced fungi directly increase pasture production, pasture cuts from a number of sites in 2006 showed double the clover content in the samples from the areas treated with DoloZest compared to conventionally fertilised properties.

The time to lay the foundation for maximum clover growth during late spring, summer, and early autumn is now, allowing soil biology time to establish ensuring increased clover and animal production this coming season.