transect points: Home Grown Biofertilizer
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Saturday, February 24, 2007
Home Grown Biofertilizer
The role that soil microbes (archaea, bacteria, and fungi) play in soil nutrient availability is an interesting area, one where we have much to explore. Biofertilizers are increasingly available commercially, meaning those of us outside the academic community will have increasing opportunity to conduct our own reseach
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transect points: Home Grown Biofertilizer
I posted this in response to a the above 'transect points' blog
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michaelangelica said...
I vaguely recall a Japanese study where they found a bacteria that made phosphorus available.
I think they said that their volcanic soils contain a lot of phosphorus but it is not readily available to plants. They were interested in Australian technology with making super phosphate applied to farms more available.
Australian soils are phosphate poor. Most natives react very badly (die) to phosphorus because they have evolved in a low phosphorus environment.
What happens if the Japaneses phosphorus-making-available "wee beastie" visits Australia? How would the native plants feel about that I wonder?
It seems we need to spend a lot more $ working out the different "suites" of 'critters' that live and have evolved in different parts of the world.
I am worried that throwing about commercial 'wee beastie' mixes might kill or endanger native bacteria, fungi etc before we have even managed to give them a name - let alone work out what they do.
I guess whenever we garden we destroy as well as create.
In housing estates popping up locally on virgin soil developers are required to collect native seed growing in the proposed development area, propagate it and replant it when the houses are up.
No one has yet thought of asking what the amazing soil zoo under their feet contains.
RIP
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