Developing and maintaining soil health and soil fertility is vital to your agricultural productivity. A key component of soil organic matter are populations of soil microbes. Living microbes in soil help supply plants with nutrients, and a diverse community of soil microbes provides protection against pest and disease outbreaks. Common agricultural practices can reduce microbes in soil and overall soil health, but there are ways of improving soil quality to prevent this from happening.
Applications of Acadian Plant Health™ agricultural products can improve soil health and provide a more fertile environment for plants, leading to increased development and productivity. Use Acadian Plant Health™ crop care solutions to:
Note: Microbial colony counts are expressed in millions of colony-forming units per gram of soil. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences between treatments. (LSD, p=.05)
In this two-year greenhouse and field study, the number of microbial colonies in the soil was increased significantly with regular applications of an Acadian Plant Health™ agricultural product. In this same study, applications of an Acadian Plant Health™ product increased total cultural bacteria populations by up to 23% and fungal populations by up to 8%.
Reference: Alam, M. Z., Braun, G., Norrie, J., & Hodges, D. M. (2013) Effect of Ascophyllum extract application on plant growth, fruit yield and soil microbial communities of strawberry. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 93:23-36.
Note: Relative abundance represents the number of a particular type of organisms as a percentage of the total number of organisms in a given area.
In this field trial on carrots, plots treated with an Acadian Plant Health™ agricultural product had much higher numbers of two types of mycorrhizae fungi, in proportion to other organisms. Mycorrhizae fungi colonize plant root systems and provide many crop benefits; they help increase root surface area which, in turn, helps plants uptake more water and nutrients from the soil.
As shown in the photograph, treated plots were more developed at the end of the growing season, and there was a 20% increase in the weight of whole plants at the time of harvest.
Note: Different letters indicate statistically significant differences between treatments. (LSD, p=.05)
In this university trial, applications of an Acadian Plant Health™ product led to an increase in the colony count of a nitrogen fixing bacteria. Nitrogen fixing bacteria are important in legume plants such as alfalfa, soybean, etc. as they form nodules in root systems where they convert nitrogen into a format that the plant can use.
Reference: Wajahatullah, K., Zhai, R., Souleimanov, A., Critchley, A. T., Smith, D., & Prithiviraj, B. (2012). Commercial Extract of Ascophyllum nodosum Improves Root Colonization of Alfalfa by Its Bacterial Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 43:2425–2436
To read up on all of the innovative research and product information that Acadian Plant Health™ has to offer, sign up to access our Acadian Information Portal!
Login
Sign-Up
Good soil health lays the foundation for a high performance crop. Apply Acadian Plant Health agricultural products to the soil at the recommended rates and timings listed on product labels. For soil health benefits, regular applications are recommended throughout the growing season to help maintain soil fertility. Applications can even be made at pre-planting and post-harvest to help feed beneficial soil microbes in the ‘off season.’
Acadian Plant Health crop care solutions help improve soil health by feeding beneficial soil microbes and by improving soil moisture. Acadian products contain complex bioactive compounds that encourage optimal soil health so that plants can thrive in their environment.
Note: Acadian Plant Health™ agricultural solutions are derived from natural ingredients that have complex chemical compositions. As a result, Acadian's products contain an incredibly diverse array of bioactive compounds. Through ongoing research, Acadian Plant Health™ is identifying specific compounds or active ingredients that induce certain plant responses. However, in many cases, researchers believe that plant responses linked to Acadian treatments cannot be attributed to a single bioactive compound, but they are rather the result of a unique mixture of bioactive compounds working together to produce unique results.