The soil microbiome is an incredible asset to farmers. A healthy, diverse one will improve soil structure, increase water retention, help fend off pathogens and parasites, and buffer against abiotic stress. It also aids in nutrient uptake and cycling, which can have a significant impact on a no-tiller’s operation, given that generally less than half of fertilizer applied makes it into the crop.

David Stark, molecular biologist and president of agriculture at Holganix, says the nutrient use efficiency of nitrogen (N) ranges from 40-65%, phosphorus (P) 15-25% and potassium (K) 30-50%.

“The USDA in 2021 said 36% of the operating cost of growing a corn crop is fertilizer,” Stark says. “And to think that over half of our money is going to waste. How do we make these things more efficient?”

One way many growers are trying to do that is with biologicals. Stark reviewed some of the options growers have in using these products to get more nutrients into their crops, from tapping into what’s available in the atmosphere and the soil, to capturing and recycling applied fertilizer.

Creating Nitrogen

One option growers have is applying biologicals that contain certain bacteria capable of converting N in the atmosphere into ammonia. While that may sound like an easy process, gaseous N is made of two N atoms that are triple bonded, while most chemical bonds — like ammonia — contain a single N atom bonded with three hydrogen atoms. It takes a lot of energy to break that N molecule…