Re: [compost_tea] High Nitrate levels in water

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 23:19:09 EDT

Hi Joao -
At present sugar beet producers are having big problems as they are producing
alot of tonnage but with little sugar with the added problems of the pest
attacks also due to high Nitrates.

This is similar to what I understand from sugar beet growers in the US

We have some areas here in Portugal with 200 ppm of Nitrate in bore hole
water, if we apply CT and keep irragating with this water.
You need to add both bacteria and fungi, and foods to feed both, but I would
probably add corn gluten, or low N fish oil, as possible food resources,
before adding molasses. Try each to see which will grow the organisms best, so the
increased organism growth ties up nitrogen in the microbial biomass.
Should we add molasses to the irrigation water ? Will the soil organisms act
as a filter for Nitrates reducing the leaching and in turn feeding the plant
as per her needs ? Do we run the risk of lack of oxygen in the soil ?

If you add too high levels of food, and oxygen is limited, anaerobic
conditions will result. You would have to decide if, and how, the anaerobic
conditions could be alleviated rapidly once the nitrate was tied up.

Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institue Cambridge, New Zealand
Soil Foodweb Inc., Hilversum, The Netherlands
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho




Received on Sun Jul 11 2004 - 00:43:00 EDT

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