How to harness biological soil fertility for the benefit of crops

Did you know that what makes soil suitable for cultivation and production is its biological fertility?

The biological fertility of the soil, in this regard, is a crucial thing to keep under control.

Soil harbours an extraordinary number of microscopic life forms, over 3000 Kg/ha in agricultural soil.

A few grams of soil can contain billions of bacteria, hundreds of kilometres of fungal hyphae, tens of thousands of protozoa, thousands of nematodes, a few hundred insects, arachnids, worms and hundreds of metres of plant roots!!

So there is life in the soil! And maintaining and stimulating this life is crucial, as most of it (over 90 %) is indispensable for plant life.

Mycorrhizal fungi

These fungi live by attaching themselves to the roots of most agricultural species (around 90 %)forming mutualistic symbioses called 'mycorrhizae'.Think about it: the fungus colonises the plant's roots, supplying it with water and nutrients that it absorbs from the soil through its external network of hyphae, while the plant supplies the fungus with organic matter (sugars, proteins, vitamins).

Plants that host symbiont fungi in their roots show not only greater growth,due to the better mineral absorption by the fungal hyphae that extend from the root to the soil, but also greater stress tolerance,characterising a more vital and balanced development than non-mycorrhized plants.

BACTERIA IN THE RHIZOSPHERE

The presence of certain bacteria in the rhizosphere, on the other hand, creates an inhospitable environment for many pathogenic species,with which a real fight for space and nutrients ensues.

Some bacteria also solubilise nutrients such as Phosphorus and make it more available to plants.

Hence the importance of restoring and preserving the biological fertility of over-exploited agricultural soilsthrough the adoption of innovative, low environmental impact cultivation systems and techniques, such as minimum tillage,localised fertilisation and the use of more efficient and less environmentally impactful fertilising materials.

The advantages brought about by the symbiotic association, which is established between fungi, bacteria and plant roots, are extraordinary:

• Increased root surface area and volume (+ 700-800 %)
• Improved quality and quantity production
• Less sensitivity to water stress, nutritional deficiencies and salinity
• Increased forage and protein units
• Better and increased uptake of macro- and micro-nutrients
• Improved fertiliser efficiency
• Agriculture with less environmental impact
• Lower production costs

The combined use of natural organic matrices with the addition of selected microbial consortia represents a true innovation in the field of plant nutrition and the restoration of exploited soils, and enables production of very high qualitative and quantitative value.

THE MSBIOTECH PROPOSAL

Msbiotech, responding to the need to develop eco-sustainable agriculture, capable of preserving the soil's natural resources and providing satisfactory production in terms of quantity and above all quality, proposes:

• for use in open fields,, DUALTECH NP 8-10 Organic-mineral pelleted in combination with RIZOTECH PLUS 

• REGENERATES BALANCE and AGILUS BIO for use in fertigation in both open field and greenhouse applications.