Fertilizer from the sea improves soils

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Mussel harvest byproduct being tested in Ottawa
.NEW LONDON, P.E.I. ? It?s a surf-and-turf research deal like no other.

A potential new natural fertilizer product, which has been branded as AquaGrow by Prince Edward Aqua Farms in New London, is being tested at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada?s Harrington Research Farm to determine its usefulness for organic and conventional farming.

"AquaGrow is a byproduct (from) the wash from when they bring the mussels in at harvest time," says Basil Dickson, who is a research technician with high-value crops at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

"They?re covered in a muddy material. In order to be presentable when they market them, they need to wash this off. Traditionally it?s gone back into the estuary, but then that?s caused tunicates to be released back in and a

buildup of silt in the waterway."

Tunicates are invasive pests attach to existing aquaculture gear, or any other man-made material, and compete with oysters and mussels for the same habitat.

PE Aqua Farms approached Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada a while back to test this possible new product for use as a soil amendment.

"They had a field (of rye grass) next to their mussel plant that they had spread it on to dispose of it and what they noticed was the rye grass was growing really well with few weeds," Dickson says.

Last summer a variety of crops were tested at Harrington Research Farm: barley, rye grass, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots.

"We?ve also researched grass on golf courses and pastureland. We?ve done hydro-seeding where we put seed in the AquaGrow liquid and then spread it on land to see how that grows."

The research project consisted of four treatments; firstly of a zero control test with no fertilizer, just plain old soil with no amendments. A second study plot focused on what typical commercial farming operation would do in terms of fertilizer. The third was a straight application of pure AquaGrow.

The final was a half-and-half application of AquaGrow and fertilizer.

"(AquaGrow) is about 0.2 per cent nitrogen. There are a lot of micronutrients in it. Iron is a big component. That?s one thing we found with the turf (test) was there wasn?t a lot of yield response but there was a lot of colour; we think the green came from the natural plant chlorophyll enhanced by the iron content, but we?re still looking at that," Dickson says.

AquaGrow?s micronutrient profile might be of interest to different growers because of their specific crop requirements.

"Some crops might need zinc, for example, to prevent a disease condition, and so that (micronutrient) profile might fit a cabbage crop better than a carrot crop, so those are things that we?re exploring right now," Dickson says.

The yield from each crop in this research project, which was funded by PE Aqua Farms, were to be determined after the harvest. Other factors such as disease and insect damage will also be evaluated.

Read more at http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/55747-fertilizer-sea-improves-soils
 
 
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