Microbes, manure and a cow's horn
Bacteria and fungi are becoming more and more relevant to growing. Here is an introduction into the world of microbes.
You may have heard about organic and biodiversity growers, businesses, and representatives go on about the natural benefits of filling a cows horn with manure and burying it under a full moon. Waiting a month to dig it back up again and spread over the crops. To someone who knows little about microbes or doesn't have any local growers doing this economically, might think that this is a little far fetched. Turns out they're not completely wrong.
Bacteria and fungi have been a talking point for a long time and can provide a lot of benefits in regards to nutrition to the plant and protection insects and soil borne diseases. The most commonly used bacteria right now is rhizobia which growers use on their legumes to fix atmospheric nitrogen into the roots of legumes such as lupins, beans, peas and clover. Does rhizobia fix a lot of nitrogen? One hectare of lupins inoculated with rhizobia creates enough nitrogen for the lupin crop and sometimes over half the nitrogen demand of the following crop (canola, wheat, barley oats). That is a lot of nitrogen!
But what does this have to do with manure, a cow's horn and the full moon? Manure is full of the microbes and organic matter for them to feed on, calcium is also a great nutrient source for microbes making the cow horn incredibly valuable for reproduction which leads to a few weeks having a product that is rich with potentially beneficial bacteria and fungi that will be spread over the crops soil.
So with further ado, below is a list of the next most commonly used bacteria and fungus that are used in the growing world. There are plenty more from where these come from but this is a great start to become familiar:
Mycorrhizal Fungi: A fungus that creates a relationship with the plant roots to provide water and nutrients, especially phosphorus.
Azotobacter: A bacteria that synthesis atmospheric nitrogen into organic nitrogen that can be later utilised by plants.
Bacillus: Some varieties are used for insecticides while others are used to improve soil structure through the creation of humates and breakdown of organic material.
Pseudomonas: Are able to breakdown insoluble phosphorous and other compounds in the soil to become available to the plant or to assist in the breakdown of chemicals.
Trichoderma and Streptomyces: This fungus is highly competitive in it's environment. Often used in situations where soil borne diseases are an issue. This fungus can be used to protect the roots of plants.
Will bacteria and fungus become mainstream use? will it reduce the use of urea and pesticides? Yes, but there is a long way to go in understanding what they can do for growers. I have seen these products provide outstanding crops in tomatoes, corn, bananas, citrus, mangoes, watermelon, zucchini, avocadoes, table grapes, capsicums, chillies, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower the list just keeps going! And best of all is the improved quality and quantity which is achieved with usually half the cost of an ordinary fertilizer program that included all the nutrients.
Where can you get these kinds of products? your local hardware store or agriculture outlets such as Bunnings, Mitre Ten, Nutrien, Elders, and CRT. The brands and website to check these microbial products are Troforte made by Langley fertilisers and Ecogrowth. Beneficial microbes can be provided as a powder, liquid or coated onto fertiliser but a very rich source of microbes is a compost bin that can be inoculated with these products or just by adding some of your soil to the mix, the soil in your veggie gardens or farm already has a massive abundance of potentially beneficial microbes that are already suited to your climate.
Happy Growing!