Healthy soils have a high rate of respiration. Soil respiration refers to the production of carbon dioxide by soil organisms. This includes respiration of plant roots, the rhizosphere, microbes and fauna. The concentrations of both O2 and CO2 are largely dependent on microbial activity, which in turn depends on the availability of organic carbon compounds as food. Variations in temperature, moisture, nutrient content and level of oxygen in the soil can produce extremely disparate rates of respiration.
With insufficient oxygen levels in the soils, only bad things happen. Soil aeration influences many soil reactions and, in turn, many soil properties. The nature as well as the rate of microbial activity is determined by the O2 content in the soil. In the absence of gaseous oxygen, anaerobic organisms take over. Poorly aerated soils or compacted soils, for example, tend to contain a wide variety of only partially oxidized products such as ethylene gas, alcohols, and organic acids. All of these are highly detrimental to plant life. Many plant pathogens like Phytophthora prefer anaerobic conditions. Interesting enough, many human pathogen microbes are anaerobic (e.g. E.coli and Salmonella).
Poor aeration also slows down the rate of decay, so nutrients can’t be mineralized to the level required to produce healthy crops. Mineralization is the conversion of a nutrient from the organic (i.e. bound to carbon and hydrogen) form to the inorganic form. The process occurs when organic materials, such as soil organic matter or plant residues, are decomposed by soil microorganisms. The nutrient is released, and is available for uptake by the plant.
What are some options to better oxygenate the soil and reduce pathogen pressure? One option is to introduce a large and diverse number of microbes that will counterbalance the anaerobic life. This is done by applying our compost teas like MetaGrow ST. Interesting enough, upon application we’ve documented a 99% decline in anaerobic microbes with an increase in species diversity and colonization rate.
We also offer Phyto-Catalyst, a water treatment that will clean drip lines, sand filters and algae in ponds. For example, it immediately dissolves calcium deposits. No need to take the filter back to the shop for scrubbing, as it can all be done in the field. The extra benefit is that it’s also a super food for microbial ecologies in the form of highly fermented oxygen, which contributes to higher biological densities in the root zone. It basically produces a microbial bloom.