How to reduce fertilizer use through enhanced soil biology

Using soil biology to cycle nutrients effectively for crop use could hold the key to reducing fertilizer requirements and the consequent impact on the environment. In the fight against climate change, optimizing the use of synthetic fertilizers is a key target for farmers, government and environmentalists. This can be achieved by maintaining yield at reduced fertilizer rates, or by achieving a higher yield at standard fertilizer rates.

The problem with non-organic agricultural fertilizers

Commercial agricultural fertilizers contain high levels of synthetic nitrogen and phosphorus, both of which may have negative impacts on water quality and biodiversity.

While nitrogen is essential for plant growth and ultimately crop yields, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are a major contributor to climate change. The manufacture of synthetic nitrogen is energy-intensive, resulting in high greenhouse gas emissions while the use of synthetic nitrogen in agriculture emits nitrous oxide – a potent and long-lived greenhouse gas.

Phosphate is essential for plant growth but is a finite resource that is increasingly mined in regions where social concerns are numerous.

The growing interest in bionutrition

Concerns around non-organic fertilizers have resulted in regulatory and public pressure to seek alternatives to synthetic? fertilizer use. For farmers, fertilizers are an expensive input, albeit one with the potential to produce a large return on investment. Synthetic fertilizer application is often inefficient, so the potential to reduce fertilizer use while accessing more efficient application methods offered by biological products represents a major win-win, both for farmers, and for the environment.

Similarly, while it is common for levels of plant-available forms of phosphorus to be below the required values in soils, those same soils hold significant volumes of ‘locked up’ phosphorus bound to calcium, aluminium or iron (depending on the pH value of the soil). By making these huge soil reserves available through the use of biological soil nutrition, there is the potential to reduce the application of phosphorus or increase the efficiency of applied P fertilizer. However, this is not an easy balance to achieve.

How microbial products could reduce fertilizer use

One solution is to make better use of soil biology. Contained within the billions of different microbes in our soil are species that can help either fix atmospheric nitrogen, or successfully solubilize locked up phosphorus reserves.

Biolevel products contain both these types of microbes, and our trials are demonstrating the potential of using such products for building healthier soils while delivering yield improvements and reducing the quantity of fertilizer growers have to apply.

Biolevel case studies:?

Biolevel University of Florida trial on corn

Sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , the 美国佛罗里达大学 is assessing the potential to reduce Nitrogen fertilizer use with the help of Biolevel MaizeNP.

The preliminary findings of the first trial year of this multi-year study showcase the potential of Biolevel MaizeNP: Biolevel MaizeNP increased corn yield and the yield increase was statistically significant. The addition of the beneficial soil microbes increased the yield at every Nitrogen rate trialed.

The results of the 2023 trial showcase the two ways to win for the farmer:

Achieve a meaningful higher yield at regular Nitrogen levels or to maintain yield at reduced Nitrogen levels. When Biolevel MaizeNP was added to the full N rate of 350 lbs per acre, the yield increased by 10.9 bushel per acre.

When Nitrogen was reduced from 350 lbs/ac to 280 lbs/ac (a 70 lbs/ac reduction), yield was still 5.7 bu/ac for the lower N rate with Biolevel MaizeNP compared to the higher rate without Biolevel.

Biolevel trials on wheat and barley

In small grains like wheat and barley, the microbial liquid seed coating Biolevel GramaxNP is a proven winner to optimize Nitrogen fertilizer use.

Several years of trials by independent contract research organizations have shown that the product increases yield over and above full Nitrogen rates, and after several years of demonstrated success in maintaining yield at 20% less applied Nitrogen, the 2024 trials have now that shown that yield can be maintained when cutting back Nitrogen by an impressive 30%.

Ultimately if soil biology can be used to cycle nutrients more effectively the use of synthetic fertilizer becomes more efficient, with no detriment to yields and only positive outcomes for the environment and climate change.

Talk to us about how Biolevel’s biological products can help you improve the condition of your soil and increase crop yields with ease and convenience.

Call Josh Seemann +1 904 657 0316 or email [email protected]. Interested in becoming a Biolevel distributor? We'd love to talk to you too!

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