Biological agriculture: the integrated approach for maximising soil - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Biological agriculture: the integrated approach for maximising soil health

Mike Harrington

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Ehrenfried Pfeiffer – extract from a paper 1940

‘We have become accustomed to regard the soil as a real equation of nutritive values. Such an equation would, as a matter of fact, be correct, if we included all the factors. But the following is an example of

• ne sidedness and an improper equation:’

soil plus additional fertilisers equals soil plus yield What is fertility?

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Soil Biology Environmental conditions (air, water, heat) Organic matter, humus Rotation, Tillage Climate Quality of seed Weed growth Manuring (fertilisers) Natural fertility plus production capacity equals the sum of biological functioning of The proper equation, from the point of view of life, should be: Current analysis: soil plus additional fertilisers equals soil plus yield

What is fertility?

‘The consideration, or neglect of any one of these factors is just as important as the whole fertiliser equation’

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• What is Soil? - Soil is an extraordinary substance!
• Functioning correctly, soil is a living entity, a constantly interacting,

interdependent whole, operating a continuous cycle of expansion and contraction, digestion and mineralisation.

• Fertility, (the natural output of soil) is the culmination of these processes as is

the production of humus. The higher the biological activity, the more diverse, more stable and the more resilient this environment and this system becomes.

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Chemical Biological Physical Chemical Biological Physical

Biology makes a huge difference to soil management

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Together, redefining the future of farming and horticulture

SOIL FOOD WEB STRUC RUCTU TURE RE – THROUGH GH SUCCESS ESSIO ION, N, INC NCREASING EASING PRODU DUCTIVIT CTIVITY

Cyanobacteria True Bacteria Protozoa Fungi Nematodes Micro-arthropods F: B ratio 0.01 Weeds

• High NO3
• Lack of Oxygen

F: B ratio 0.1 Early grasses Brome, Bermuda F: B ratio 0.3: : 1 Mid grasses – veg F: B ratio 0.75: : 1 Late successional grasses & row crops F: B ratio 1: 1 Shrubs vines, bushes F: B ratio 2:1 – 5:1 Deciduous trees F: B ratio 5:1 – 100: 1 Conifers, old growth forest F: B ratio 100:1 – 1000: 1 Bare parent rock material 100% Bacteria erial

FIRE FLO LOOD VOLC LCANO NO CATTLE TLE CULTI TIVATIO TION S CHEMIC ICALS EXCESS ESS NITROG OGEN EN HUMANS? ANS?

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When you have soil like this you may be pushing things to consider that a change of drill is going to solve the problem? We require a paradigm system change

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When you have blackgrass like this you may be pushing things to consider that a change of drill is going to solve the problem? We require a paradigm system change

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When you have soil like this you may be pushing things to consider that a change of drill is going to solve the problem? We require a paradigm system change

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Where is your starting point? Is your system moving forwards or backwards? ‘Tillage: as much as necessary and as little as possible or thoughtful movement of the soil’

Don Schriefer

‘You should never change your cultivation system to one that is worse that the one you have’

Don Schrieffer

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Chemical Biology Physical OM

Physical, Chemical, Biological Everything should connect to everything and everything influences everything

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SS Physical Loam (33:33:33) Sand Clay

Calcium Magnesium

pH 6.4 Index 2 P Index 3 K Index 3 Mg

Bacteria, protozoa, fungi, mycorrhizae, nematodes, worms, springtails, beetles, ants; crustaceans, such as sowbugs; arachnids; such as spiders and mites; myriapods, such as centipedes and millipedes; and scorpions

Cation Exchange (65-70% Ca, 10-15% Mg, 3-5% K)

8%OM

Silt CEC 25 (25 tables)

Fertility is the fully functioning and interaction between all sections – OM is the facilitator

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Chemical

Biology

Physical OM

Physical, Chemical, Biological Everything should connect to everything and everything influences everything

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Sand Silt Clay Silty Clay (4: 48:48)

Magnesium

Biological

Calcium

pH 6.8 Index 2 P Index 3 K Index 6 Mg

Bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, worms

8%OM

Cation Exchange (68% Ca, 12% Mg, 3% K)

CEC 25 (25 tables) No fungi – no digestion of straw

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Sand (95:4:1)

Sand Biological

3.9% OM

Cation Exchange (69% Ca, 6.1% Mg, 5.1% K)

Bacteria, protozoa, fungi, mycorrhizae, nematodes, worms are NOT wanted Fusarium, pythium, foot rots

pH 6.6 Index 0 P Index 1 K Index 1 Mg

CEC 5 (5 tables)

Calcium

Microbes added

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This is much more than just a drill

This is a multifunctional piece

• f equipment - a tool to be

used according to need

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Sample Name

Ladds

Total Dry weight per ha (Kg)

5951

Nitrogen (N) kg/ha

274.36 (half useable)

Sulphur (S) kg/ha

37.49

Phosphorous (P) kg/ha

29.76

Potassium (K) kg/ha

143.43

Calcium (Ca) kg/ha

257.1

Magnesium (Mg) kg/ha

7.14

Sodium (Na) kg/ha

53.8

Manganese (Mn) g/ha

285.67

Iron (Fe) g/ha

1540

Copper (Cu) g/ha

39.87

Zinc (Zn) g/ha

203.6

Boron (B) g/ha

130.34

Molybdenum (Mo) g/ha

15.83

Iodine (I) g/ha

26.19

Cobalt (Co) g/ha

1.31

Selenium (Se)

0.06

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Together, redefining the future of farming and horticulture

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Sample Name

Park - Good Park - Poor

Sample ID

DM004 DM005

Moisture Removed (%)

88.96 86.59

Total Dry Weight per m2 (g)

304.59 61.93

Total Dry weight per ha (Kg)

3045.94 619.28

Nitrogen (N) kg/ha

201.032 (half useable) 33.689 (half useable)

Sulphur (S) kg/ha

13.676 2.403

Phosphorous (P) kg/ha

30.277 4.155

Potassium (K) g/ha

131.280 28.797

Calcium (Ca) g/ha

27017 5673

Magnesium (Mg) g/ha

7097 904

Manganese (Mn) g/ha

118.79 21.67

Iron (Fe) g/ha

572.64 172.16

Copper (Cu) g/ha

36.25 8.92

Zinc (Zn) g/ha

184.28 34.87

Boron (B) g/ha

74.02 10.71

Big differences in above ground nutrient retention

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Ground beetles are an important indicator of predator invertebrates… and are worth monitoring Fresh earthworm casts collected this week totalled 5,050kg per hectare since drilling. A half kg sample has been sent off for analysis along with nearby soil

Simple measurement techniques can be a guide of progress

Slido: #B457 Over four years: Excess calcium reducing Potassium, magnesium, sodium, iron, boron, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt and molybdenum increased OM increased by 1% 5 tonnes casts per hectare over eight weeks last year Slugs now becoming less of an issue (predators building) Ground beetles up (5 in traps) Increase in structural stability 25 earthworms per cube foot = 1 million worms = 30 tonnes earth casts/acre/year Earthworms render fusarium harmless. Fusarium protein reduced by 98.8% in five weeks, while DON content was reduced by 99.7% Reduction in bulk density of soil Increase in cation exchange Increased nutrient availability (x5 Nitrogen, x7 Phosphorous, x11 Potassium, x2 Magnesium)

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1. 2.

Tissue Analysis Report

Standard Laboratory Values

Customer: RANDALL Date: 14 June 2016 Sample: E207404/02 Field: TEMPLE PARK Crop: Oats 32/37 Report - percent Range No Adjust Results Total Nitrogen 3.4 - 4 1.00 4.01 Report - percent Range No Adjust Results Phosphorous 0.3 - 0.56 0.28 0.47 Potassium 3.5 - 5 3.80 4.64 Magnesium 0.13-0.18 0.15 0.11 Calcium 0.3 - 1.2 0.40 0.47 Sodium

• Sulphur

0.28 - 0.35 0.30 0.27 Report - ppm Range No Adjust Results Manganese 26 - 60 35.00 43.8 Copper 4 - 10 5.00 10.4 Iron 40 - 150 35.00 103 Zinc 29 - 50 20.00 30.5 Molybdenum 0.09 - 0.2 0.15 0.96 Boron 6 - 10 5.00 5.6 Iodine

• Cobalt
• Selenium
• Edaphos

Deficiency-Excess

• 100 -50 0

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Ratios Desired N:P 6-18 :1 N: K 1.4-3 :1 N:S 14 :1 K: P 8-11 : 1 K:Mg K:Ca Ca: P <6 : 1 Ca:Mg Fe: Mn >1 :1 Cu: Mo 5-30 : 1 Results 8.5 0.9 14.9 9.9 42.2 9.9 1 4.3 2.4 10.8 Plants can only grow to the extent of their most deficient element - we need to consider what is the biggest limiter to growth

Slido: #B457 A systems change can be difficult, it starts in the mind! In the end you, you have to ‘earn the right’ to reduce inputs!

• To reduce inputs – fertilisers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides

(slugs, blackgrass, aphids, nitrogen efficiency, poor digestion of straw – symptom of a poor system)

• To reduce cultivations and aeration - allowing soils to biologically function

(How the current biological system is degenerating rather than regenerating)

• To capture free nitrogen and carbon from the air

(Why have fields lost the capacity to biologically function and cycle)

• To retain and cycle nutrients within the soil and increase and cycle organic

matter

(Understand the need for change)

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Together, redefining the future of farming and horticulture

In the end, it is all about balance. However, without a living topsoil we cannot begin to talk about sustainability. Thank you