By Ensoil Algae
The more life in your soil, the better your crops, forage and livestock will thrive. Soil biodiversity is the key to improving nutrient cycling, plant and livestock fertility saving on inputs and increasing profits.
The use of biostimulants in agriculture has gained significant traction due to their potential to enhance yield, improve soil health and reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers. Published research has shown that live green algae, uniquely Chlorella vulgaris, to be a particularly effective biostimulant having a significant impact on soil microbial activity, plant growth and overall farm ROI.
Chlorella vulgaris are living green algae microscopic, freshwater organisms capable of surviving in soil. Living biology is what sets this form of biostimulant apart from all others because it stimulates the biology that is already in the soil. Extensive research and field trials have proven that this is of paramount importance in the potency and efficacy of biologicals for significant boosting of soil organic matter and microbial biomass, enabling every know benefit attributable to biostimulants to be realized.
• Enhanced plant growth and yield across various crops
• Reduced dependence on chemical fertilizers (NPK)
• Improved soil fertility, organic matter and microbial mass
• Increased leaf chlorophyll content, which translates into increased photosynthetic capacity
• Enhanced plant resistance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity
• Potential increased resistance to plant pathogens due to improved plant vigor
REDUCING THE NEED FOR SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER
One of the most important benefits of living green algae is that it can be used to lower synthetic nitrogen inputs. “Where will the nitrogen come from you ask?” The answer is that living green algae amplifies nature’s process of extracting nitrogen from the air and converting it into ammonium compounds in the soil. One gram of healthy soil contains some 10 billion bacteria, fungi and other organisms that work together to make this conversion — and live green algae accelerate this process known as nitrogen fixation.
In addition, rhizospheric bacteria produce weak acids that solubilize soil-bound phosphorus, making it available to roots.
This especially happens when these bacteria are stimulated by Chlorella vulgaris. Soil testing after the first application has even demonstrated excess nitrogen after grazing and harvesting — nitrogen that is available for the next season. This means ranchers can reduce their use of synthetic NPK fertilizers to produce quality, grass, hay and alfalfa. And because it is applied at much lower rates and at a much lower cost than synthetic fertilizer, ranchers can reduce their input costs while improving the health of their soil and the nutritional content of their forage. EnSoil Algae™ treated pasture fields have been proven to increase cattle conception rates and decrease the need for mineral supplements.
Bryan Mussard, Reminisce Angus Ranch
A BREAKTHROUGH IN LIVING BIOSTIMULANT TECHNOLOGY
Historically, the challenge of maintaining live algae viability during storage and transport has hindered their widespread use. Green algae, like most plants, are usually dependent on photosynthesis to maintain life; they die when placed in dark storage.
Living organisms feed themselves in one of two ways: either by producing their own food via photosynthesis — like green plants and algae — or by finding it outside of themselves, like animals and bacteria. Those that photosynthesize are called autotrophs (auto = self, troph = feeding), while those that scavenge or hunt for food are called heterotrophs (hetero = other). And there is a third category known as mixotrophic, an organism which can switch between autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolism.
Scientists with EnSoil Algae™ have now introduced mixotrophic Chlorella vulgaris which can photosynthesize in light and consume organic material in darkness, allowing them to remain viable during transport and for over a year in dark storage. This patent-pending technology doesn’t use any commercial or laboratory gene-altering techniques — i.e., it doesn’t rely on genetic modification as the heterotrophic pathway is already present in green algae. EnSoil Algae™ technology activates that pathway to produce mixotrophic chlorella.
Biostimulants like Cholera vulgaris make sense because they can lead to significant agronomic and economic outcomes that deliver a better return on investment than synthetic fertilizer. To learn more, watch what some Montana ranchers have experienced. EnSoil Algae™ is a product of Enlightened Soil Corp, a South Carolina public benefit corporation. ensoilalgae.com.
