WO2012088548A1

WO2012088548A1 - Organic soil treatment

Info

Publication number: WO2012088548A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2011/000097
Authority: WO
Inventors: Murray Robert MOXHAM
Original assignee: Moxham Murray Robert
Priority date: 2010-12-23
Filing date: 2011-12-21
Publication date: 2012-06-28
Also published as: ZA201305000B

Abstract

The invention provides a base for a soil treatment preparation comprising active carbon, whereby active carbon is defined as being carbon consumable by microbes as found. The invention extends to a soil treatment preparation including a base comprising active carbon.

Description

ORGANIC SOIL TREATMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an organic soil treatment preparation. BACKGROUND ART

There are a number of organic, biological, microbiological and chemical preparations which are known to be beneficial to soil in the sense that they assist in increasing crop yields, improve crop quality, reduce damage to crops by vermin, insects and microbes. Unfortunately these benefits are often introduced at the expense of one or more other components of the soil web or eco-system.

Agricultural production is synonymous with monoculture cropping. As a result farming activities often result in long term detrimental effects to the soil web despite providing short term benefits to crop production. These detrimental practices include destruction of soil structure by ploughing, over-fertilization to raise crop yields, over-irrigation, often because of poor water quality and the application of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides which destroy both harmful and beneficial fungal and bacterial associations.

The results of these practices include oxygen depletion, depletion of soil organic matter, destruction of soil structure, poor drainage, depletion of beneficial microbial systems, depletion of mutualistic fungal and bacterial associations and domination of pathogenic microbes.

Essential to soil health is carbon, both in the form of active carbon consumable by microbes and regarded as microbial food, and stable carbon which forms a habitat for the microbes. A balance between the active and stable forms is necessary in order to be able to support beneficial microbial populations.

"Biochar" is stable carbon or charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass which is able to sequester carbon in soil for many years and is now recognised as a preparation for improving soil health. It is stable and not subject to microbial decay.

Another "preparation" may be described as "effective microbes". Typically these preparations are a blend of three or more types of predominantly anaerobic organisms (for example lactic acid bacteria, purple [phototropic] bacteria) and yeast which co-exist for the benefit of the environment into which they are introduced.

Mycorrhizal refers to the symbiotic relationship between fungi and plant roots whereby the fungi provide the roots with improved access to water and mineral nutrients while the plant offers the fungi a source of carbohydrates in the form of glucose and sucrose. Mycorrhizal helps bacterial either assist in forming the mycorrhizal or interact positively with functioning of the symbiosis.

Finally, nitrogen, phosphates and potassium are formulated into fertilizers which amend soil fertility.

All of the above-mentioned preparations are beneficial and are typically added to soil individually.

Efforts have been made to constitute products which combine these preparations with a base or substrate which either allows the individual preparations to operate more effectively and beneficially or creates an environment in which combinations of these preparations are able to act in a synergistic manner. To this end animal manures and composts have been used as a base, which contains mainly active carbon. In the Applicant's view however, the use of this type of base (manure) is at best ineffective and at worst, adversely affects the performance of the soil treatment preparation.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide one or more soil treatment preparations which include a base which does meet the objections described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, a base for a soil treatment preparation comprises active carbon.

In this specification, active carbon is defined as being carbon consumable by microbes as found.

The base preferably comprises partly decomposed, lignified, humified wood chips. The base may further comprise a combination of partly decomposed, lignified, humified wood chips and vermicompost.

In order to restore the soil web, it may be necessary to combine one or more of biochar, effective microbes, mycorrhizal helper bacteria and organically-based micro nutrients, in the form of phosphates, nitrogen and potassium as well as other second tier nutrients, with the base described above to form a soil amendment preparation.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a combination of the above preparations and an active carbon base is provided. In this combined form, the ratio is preferably 80:20 by mass of active carbon to biochar, effective microbes, mycorrhizal helper bacterial and micronutrients combined.

Vermicompost preferably contains a wide range of mycorrhyzae helper bacteria, for example the phosphate solubilising bacteria, as well as several beneficial Pseudonomas species including Pseudonomas fluorescens. In addition, the vermicompost preferably contains nitrogen fixers including Azospirilum and Azotobacter, phosphate solubilisers, and a wide range of beneficial bacteria and fungi.

The soil amendment preparation described above is preferably inoculated with a wide range of disease suppressive organisms, for example Trichoderma, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Agro bacterium radiobacter, and micro-organisms derived from Effective Microbes, including Actinomycetes, photosynthetic bacteria, fermenting fungi, yeast, moulds and lactic acid bacteria.

In a modification of the invention, the soil amendment preparation includes organic fertilizer formulations. In this form, the soil amendment preparation further includes organic phosphate (for example rock phosphate) and / or a calcium source (for example bone meal) and /or a nitrogen source (for example blood meal) and / or a potassium source (for example potassium sulphate).

In a further modification of the invention, the soil amendment preparation includes a high concentration of an inoculum of natural "predator" microbes, the appropriate "predator" microbes being selected according to the particular pathogen affecting the soil requiring treatment. In this way, a wide range of pathogenic nematodes and the following soil-borne diseases may be controlled:

Pythium spp, Phytophtora spp, Rhizoctonia solani, Fussarium spp, Botrytis cinerea, Ustilog spp . In a particular example where a problem is being experienced with damping-off disease on cabbage seedlings, an additional inoculum of Pseudomonas fluorescens would be added to the soil amendment preparation in order that this bacteria can begin to inhibit the growth of the pathogen which in this case is Rhizoctonia solani.

The soil treatment base and or the soil amendment preparation including the base of the invention accordingly offers a wide range of benefits for soil treatment.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A soil treatment preparation, characterised in that the preparation includes a base comprising active carbon.

2. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the active carbon base comprises partly decomposed, lignified, humified wood chips.

3. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2 characterised in that the active carbon base comprises a combination of partly decomposed, lignified, humified wood chips and vermicompost.

4. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that one or more of biochar, effective microbes, mycorrhizal helper bacteria and organically-based micro nutrients, in the form of phosphates, nitrogen and potassium as well as other second tier nutrients, are combined with the active carbon base.

5. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the ratio of active carbon to biochar, effective microbes, mycorrhizal helper bacterial and micronutrients combined is 80:20 by mass.

6. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in either of claims 4 or 5 characterised in that the active carbon is combined with vermicompost.

7. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6 characterised in that the soil treatment preparation is inoculated with a wide range of disease suppressive organisms.

8. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in claim 7 characterised in that the preparation includes a high concentration of an inoculum of natural "predator" microbes, the appropriate "predator" microbes being selected according to the particular pathogen affecting the soil requiring treatment.

9. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in either of claims 7 or 8 characterised in that the disease suppressive organisms include Trichoderma, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Agro bacterium radiobacter, and micro-organisms derived from Effective Microbes, including Actinomycetes, photosynthetic bacteria, fermenting fungi, yeast, moulds and lactic acid bacteria.

10. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in any of the above claims characterised in that the preparation includes organic fertilizer formulations.

11. A soil treatment preparation as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that the soil treatment preparation further includes organic phosphate (for example rock phosphate) and / or a calcium source (for example bone meal) and /or a nitrogen source (for example blood meal) and / or a potassium source (for example potassium sulphate).