Key to productive agriculture is right beneath our feet
Justin, Texas – In a July 2013 article published on Farm Journal’s affiliated agweb.com website, staff editor Ben Potter highlights the importance of continuous soil quality maintenance in long-term agricultural productivity. Soil quality is the capacity at which the soil can support human health, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and, most importantly to farmers, sustain the productivity of crop yields. It is vital to maximizing profits through sustainable productivity.
At its foundation, soil quality relies on the existing microbial populations that are present. Whether following conventional or organic management practices, all farmers benefit from programs that consistently maintain healthy levels of soil microbes. Bio S.I. Technology (www.biositechnology.com) has two all-purpose formulas, Agriculture and Agriculture Select that allow farmers to return these beneficial microbes and build soil health all year.
Like a human’s own immune system, beneficial microbes in the soil perform critical functions that protect crops from disease-causing pathogens and other pests that hinder growth. Soil is the most diverse ecosystem on the planet, with one tablespoon containing as much as a billion or more microorganisms. As the basis for Bio S.I.’s Agriculture and Agriculture Select formulas, the microbial communities that each is comprised of provide the essential framework for plant growth and health.
Plant or chemical residue that builds up over time requires specific soil microbes to break it down into forms that roots can reabsorb as nutrients. This rebuilds and renews the humus layer which might have otherwise been reduced through regimented fertilizer use or harsh weather conditions. Water retention and the depths to which crop root systems can grow will increase dramatically, allowing plants to build up their own natural defense systems against root-based diseases below the surface and pests above.
The high concentrations of soil microbes that Bio S.I.’s formulas provide help control plant disease pathogens by competing with, and preying on, them. When there is a broad and diverse spectrum of soil microbes, soil-borne pathogens diminish due to a lack of food sources and space. Bio S.I.’s Agriculture and Agriculture Select create a secondary advantage with vigorous soils that support more resilient plant growth that can withstand damage and disease caused by pests on the surface. Soils with higher humic content have a larger capacity to store nutrients for balanced and continuous absorption.
Healthy, diverse soil systems have the ability to sustain plants naturally, and without chemical inputs. Fewer diseases emerge in plants that are grown in diverse soils, along with damages caused by insects and other pests. Maintaining healthy soil is equally as, if not more, important to growing quality crops than less sustainable inputs like synthetic chemicals. Bio S.I.’s Agriculture and Agriculture Select formulas give farmers the key to unlock the full potential of their soil, naturally.