Microbes & Nutrient Management
Since 1955, Growers Chemical Corporation has told farmers about the importance of microbiological life in the soil. The idea of Dr. V.A. Tiedjens was to use the element Calcium (Ca) to create an environment in the soil that allowed good oxygen (O) content so as to allow the proper populations of soil microbes that would feed the crop through symbiotic relationships. Once that environment was achieved, then don't damage the various microbe populations by adding toxins to the soil environment with various imbalanced and/or impure fertilizers. Dr. V.A. Tiedjens' idea was to create the proper microbe environment that allows the plant to achieve maximum production with minimum amount of input. This approach would allow good economic performance, but also the positive economics would be achieved with the least environmental impact. By having this type of agricultural philosophy, it was with great interest Growers Chemical Corporation learned about a group of university researchers that found a variety of corn that could possibly transform the way corn is now grown in North America.
According to the article "There are many 'ifs,' but the discovery of corn that fertilizes itself could transform agriculture," published in the August 20, 2018 issue of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "scientists have determined that farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico have been growing corn that creates its own fertilizer for centuries if not millennia." These scientists believe that financial savings, along with the environmental ramifications, are "almost outrageous." The focus of the researchers is centered on the element nitrogen (N) which is considered by North American agriculture to be the most important fertilizer element for corn.
The description in this article of the mechanism with which this variety functions is very important: "Understanding the process requires a short course in biology. The plants in Mexico have bizarre fingerlike roots sticking out of their stalks. The roots secrete a goopy mucus, in which bacteria live. The bacteria take nitrogen from the air-which plants can't use-and convert it to a different form of nitrogen that they can use. The plants soak up the fixed nitrogen gel through the fingerlike roots.
"The nitrogen is a critical nutrient for all plants; it's the primary ingredient in chemical fertilizers.
"The process is part of a cycle. The bacteria live on carbon, which the plant supplies in the form of sugar. The sugar is produced through photosynthesis. Through this odd trade agreement, the plant gets usable nitrogen, the bacteria get necessary carbon, and both parties are happy.
"Nitrogen fixation is best known for occurring in legumes like soybeans. The bacteria live in their roots and the surrounding soil. But this had not been demonstrated in grasses like corn."
This biological discussion highlights the symbiotic relationship of plants and soil microbes that is very important when implementing the Growers Program. Plants exchange sugar carbohydrate or carbon manufactured by photosynthesis in exchange for nutrients that are made available to the plant by the soil microbiology. The Growers Program tries to enlist the help of the soil microbes already present in the soil profile to complete this process. Longtime Growers Program users learn that once the soil microbiological population is correct, then the farmer can reduce the utilization of the element N quite significantly. This reduction helps with economics and also with environmental consequences.
Also, in this newspaper article it is of interest to note that Dr. Christopher Kucharik, department chair of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, made the statement that this corn's "biggest impact locally, if Wisconsin farmers could dramatically reduce fertilizer use, would be to water quality. Less than half of the nitrogen in fertilizer is actually used by plants; the rest ends up in ground water or runs off into waterways."
The article says that as far as nutrient management is concerned, the commercial development of this corn is still years away. Mr. Farmer, nutrient management help from the Growers Program is available right now by contacting a GMS sales representative.
This is an excerpt from the Spring Growers Solution (2019) written by Jim Halbeisen, Director of Research.
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