plant hormones and other plant stimulants were added to help the organisms survive in the soil.” Although used by farmers for
“Many of the early products had very specific functions:
enhancement of organic matter decomposition, for example. But as technologies evolved, products with multiple microor- ganisms were introduced.” Dr. Robert Ames
hundreds of years to improve crop production, seaweed is a relative newcomer to the biofertility discus- sion. Ascophyllum nodosum is the most researched, and considered the most active, of all of the seaweeds. Extracts from this species promote improved root growth that, in turn, can lead to greener, more attractive turf.
“When you put extracts from the
Ascophyllum nodosum species on land plants, they take on some of the same ability as the seaweed to tolerate stress,” said Robin Ross, market de- velopment scientist, Plant Science Division, at Acadian Seaplants Lim- ited in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Ac- cording to Ross, in addition to increased stress tolerance, turf treated with seaweed extract exhibits greener color and a more attractive appearance (due to higher amounts of chlorophyll) along with increased root growth. Despite a growing body of scien-
tifically supported knowledge, questions remain concerning biofertility and its role in today’s fertility programs: * What about elements other than nitrogen? Do biologicals
also produce enhanced uptake of other essential elements like phosphorous, potassium and micronutrients? * What is their longevity and what are their residual effects?
“If you’re not using a biological product, you’re completely missing the ability to bolster the plant’s
natural defenses, especially to drought and salinity stress.” — Robin Ross
* Are they enhancing the avail- ability or uptake of applied N or of the soil organic N? “We don’t know all the answers to all the questions,” said Gaussoin. “From an academic standpoint, we want to know these answers. But we also don’t need to know them all to know these products do give equiv- alent responses with lower N in- puts.”
One answer the scientists do seem comfortable with is to the question: Do biological products support and work in a complemen- tary fashion to traditional synthetic products? According to Ross, biological
products, “Enhance the effectiveness of conventional fertilizers and make those fertilizers work better. If you’re not using a biological prod- uct, you’re completely missing the ability to bolster the plant’s natural defenses, especially to drought and salinity stress.”
“We’ve come a long way from where we were in our belief
process,” said Gaussoin. “And we’re just on the edge of what we might be doing five to 10 years from now. But as we learn more, and manufacturers apply more of the science, I think we will see highly reputable companies producing appropriate and proven bi- ologically active compounds that turf managers can’t live with- out.”
Article provided by LebanonTurf. For more information, visit www.LebanonTurf.com.
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