Scientists aim to apply the science of nitrogen to fields

frank

Guest
COVINGTON, Ind. ? What if nitrogen were free? As the most abundant element in the earth?s atmosphere, it seems it should be.

Until it is, scientists are focusing on studying what happens to nitrogen when it is applied to the soil so that they might find ways to help farmers save money on the staple fertilizer.

The challenge is not nitrogen itself, but what happens to it once it is applied to the soil.

?The natural progression is for microbes to take whatever you feed them and turn it into nitrate,? said Jim Camberato, an agronomist at Purdue University who knows quite a bit about nitrogen.

?Ammonium, which is immobile in the soil, will bubble up from the soil and disperse into the air if it turns to nitrate,? he said. ?Denitrification ? which happens when soils are saturated in warm soil ? can be a huge challenge for farmers at the beginning of the growing season, because a field can lose nitrogen at the rate of 5 percent per day in such soil.?

Read more at http://agrinews-pubs.com/articles/n...7D06F5533FDEC69F93FDEC57F9032288262B5A8C713A2
 

franciefinn

Guest
We are using biochar as a carrier for the microbe rich Agribiotic SumaGrow watching instances where the carbon matrix of biochar is used to convey microbial and nutrient materials into soils for remediation. This appears to be particularly useful where catastrophic fires have cooked the seed-bed and sterilized the microflora/fauna.
 
 
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