SoilSymbiotics

06/21/2018

The above ground portion of these pear trees (which is around 50% of the entire tree) is looking great as fruit is rapidly filling. Not pictured is the other half of the tree (the root system and microbial associates) that are responsible for the healthy luxuriant growth of the branches, leaves, and fruit. Health below ground = health above ground

02/18/2018

This study shows the contribution of mycorrhizal symbioses to the growth and nutritional quality of grasses cascades through the biomass of large grazing mammals and their predators. Although AM fungi amount to less than 1 percent of the overall living biomass in the Serengeti, their predicted nutrient inputs into the food web doubled animal biomass. http://news.nau.edu/serengiti-food-web/

12/10/2017

After completing our third crop cycle with this farm, the leaves from the organic bell pepper plants are consistently showing a refractive index (Brix) of 14-16% - up from an average of 4% when we started. A refractive index above 12% (for peppers- varies from crop to crop) indicates superior nutritive quality expressed as more complex and rich flavor, longer shelf-life, and more resilient, disease resistant plants.

10/18/2017

Pictured is a cross-section of a root nodule produced by the nitrogen fixing bacteria rhizobium in symbiosis with a tree species from the Fabaceae family.

Prior to the formation of the first nodules (which host rhizobium bacteria) the host plant is alerted to the presence of the bacteria by the intracellular movement of calcium which ultimately triggers the formation of the first nodules.

Within the nodules is where the bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into biologically available nitrogen. Molybdenum is the trace element co-factor that is required to activate the nitrogenase enzyme pathway, without which N is not made biologically available.

The red coloring in the photo is leghemoglobin, the plant equivalent of hemoglobin and indicator of active N fixation. Cobalt is needed in sufficient supply for the synthesis of leghemoglobin. Nodules without a red or pink color inside signify a cobalt deficiency.

Calcium, cobalt, and molybdenum are three of the minerals we find most commonly out of balance. Minerals are as much a necessity for the basic functioning of microorganisms as they are for plants, animals and humans. It is our job to understand the nuanced relationships and foster the interconnectedness of the microbe/mineral/plant system.

10/12/2017

The fruiting body of Russula virescens, a mycorrhizal fungus that forms a symbiotic association with hardwood trees in both temperate and tropical soils. A single fruiting body can release 30 billion spores into the atmosphere each day. Beyond just the carriers of genetic information, these spore are able to kick start the cohesion of water v***r into the water droplets that subsequently fall as rain - the same rain that allows for these and many other fungi to fruit in the first place. Just another example of the generative force of nature

09/16/2017

Timing makes all the difference. Applying the crop's boron requirements as a pre-bloom foliar contributes to a higher rate of conversion from blooms to fruit. Boron also mobilizes calcium into the blossom end of the fruit which contributes to greater cell wall integrity and enhanced disease and pathogen resistance. Boron is one of approximately 75 minerals we address with our crop nutrition programs. We combine mineral nutrition with microbiology to potentiate mineral uptake and cycling as well as microbial function and reproduction.

09/14/2017

This article offers a good perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities we face in stewarding our greatest resource -

A new idea: If we revive the tiny creatures that make dirt healthy, we can bring back the great American topsoil. But farming culture — and government — aren't making it easy.

09/08/2017

A prescient encapsulation by André Voisin, a French biochemist best known for originating rational intensive grazing.

08/25/2017

A great day in the field checking out the improvements on these organic bell peppers. One year ago BRIX readings were between 4 - 6%. Now readings are 11 - 14 %. Halfway through the cycle we are on track to see a yield increase of approximately 5 kg per square meter - more than a 50% increase.

08/12/2017

“What we have found may be ancient fungal species that were there even before humankind was born,”...

Researchers said they have grown a mushroom from a fungus found in a 20-million-year-old geological

08/11/2017

The plant-fungi relationship that could help us in a warming world...

How can you protect crops against global warming? One answer: find the secrets of plants that already thrive in the most punishing climates, says microbiologist Rusty Rodriguez.

08/09/2017

It is said that we have only named and described a mere 2% of the life in soil...

Some of the greatest wonders of the universe are oh so close.