RE: [compost_tea] more on soil chemistry facts

From: John Cowan <vivax_at_northlink.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2004 22:38:02 -0700

Never heard anyone talk about N-fixation of that scale and time frame.
Thanks for pointing it out that it is possible. How, in a practical manner,
is the question. Hope I can find your reference.

John Cowan
  John wrote:
  I don't think microbial nitrogen-fixation is going to accomplish that in a
reasonable length of time for a farmer.

  why not? You get the right N-fixers in the system, and you can fix 1000
pounds per acre in a summer. Ah, but you have to feed them right, and make
sure the N-fixers that can do this can live in that soil.

    Is it going to come from the nitrogen in the assayed "organic matter" of
the soil? As you probably know, each 1% of soil organic matter represents
1000 lbs. of nitrogen in the top 6 inches of soil but it is not something
you would want to use up to grow a crop and increase microbial bodies. Over
the years, people have implied that massive nitrogen fixation can happen in
an organic system but the evidence seems lacking that this is highly
significant.

  There is evidence. Please check through the microbiological literature.
I know I've read some of these papers - they would be in Applied and
Environmental Microbiology. The last one I recall reading would have been
in 2002 or so......


  Elaine R. Ingham




Received on Wed Sep 08 2004 - 02:07:52 EDT

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