Notes for Chapter 2: The Benefits of the Soil Food Web. Lecture 6: Nutrient Cycling

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Well it is looking like the Soil Food Web path is the path I will be venturing down. So far I am doing much better than I expected. When I wanted to go down the soil food web path many moons ago in 2007, these classes were held in person in Oregon and not feasible. It was not until 2018/19 that I saw these classes were held online. I had chose to do Korean Natural Farming by this time.

In 2019 I tried taking these Soil Food Web classes but my life was in a downward spiral and could not focus on these classes like I wanted to.

I can say with confidence that overall using the Soil Food Web techniques vs (Korean) Natural Farming that I have seen 100x better results with less time, money and energy spent towards Elaine Ingram's methods than I have with Natural farming. Natural Farming is fun and has connected me to my local ecosystems much better however.

I will be pushing through these courses and try to do two lessons a day. Not sure if things will work out long term in Boise as communication and what I am learning with The Soil Food Web is contradictory to what Natural Farming teaches. Not to mention the Natural Farming community is not healthy right now and splintered. Although, I am still very interested in watching Chris Trump progress with natural farming as his methods I have found to be the most reliable in terms of application. Not to mention his genuine love for his students and adaptability.

Hopefully, I can finish these classes and make my way to Oregon or a location where I can be mentored on site with making the compost, compost extracts and of course the microscope work that comes after the Foundation courses that I am working on.

As usual, here is some youtube ear candy for the cannabis growers out there who might want to listen to Soil Food Web people shop talk Nutrient Cycling.

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Nutrient Cycling

A healthy Food Web will Make nutrients available to plants at the proper rates and will eliminate the need for fertilizer. This will lead to flavor and proper nutrition for your plants and animals. Your soil wont lose nutrients from leeching or run off. Disease mitigation will occur as well as decomposing toxins!

The ability to hold water while reducing the need for water will happen when you have a healthy soil food web. Root depth of plants from aerobic soil conditions will also occur.

This paper was the first paper to express what the organisms actually did in the soil was first published in 1985.

• https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2307/1942528

The above paper found out that

• Not enough nutrients in sterile soil to grow a plant (P)

  • Low Plant Mass

• Bacteria only added to sterile soil was not enough to grow a plant (PB)

  • Low Plant Mass

• Sterile soil with added fungi and bacteria had protozoas sneak in (PBPrNb)

  • Adding predator increased plant mass significantly

• Was adding in Bacteria, Protoza, Bacterial feeding nematodes to sterile soil sufficient? (PBPrNb)

  • Adding predator increased plant mass significantly

• Was adding in Bacteria, Protozoa, Fungi and Fungal Feeding Nematodes to sterile soil sufficient? (PBPrFNf)

  • Adding predator increased plant mass significantly

• With the greater amount of predators added there was a greater amount of soluble ammonium nitrogen. The plant removed/ took up a lot of the ammonium as well when predators were added.

• Greater amounts of nitrogen was available in the plant shoots when there was more predators added.

The poop loop

Sun
|
Living Plants
|
Dead Organic Material
|
Decomposers:
Fungi, Aerobic Nitrogen
(Nitrogen accumulation)
|
Microscopic Soil predators.
(Protozoa, amoebae, flagellates, ciliates)- Release of Soluble Nitrogen--- Back to Living Plants
|
Predators
(nematodes, arthropods, mites)--- More Nitrogen released to --- Back to Living Plants
|
Higher level Predators--- More Nitrogen released to --- Back to Living Plants
|
Vertebrates--- More Nitrogen released to --- Back to Living Plants

Root energy allocation

• 20% of weeds energy is fixed into their root system
• 60% of grass energy is fixed into their roots
• 75% of Vegetable energy is fixed into their roots
• 80% of Shrubs and tress energy is fixed into their roots

The energy that goes into the root system is used to for a few things. Building structural roots to prevent the plant from falling over and acting as anchor. The Energy going into the root system is used to take up Nutrients by diffusion which requires no enzymes. Most of the energy allocated by the plant (50%) to its root systems is for Exudates.

Exudates are simple sugars, proteins and carbohydrates. They feed specific species of bacteria and fungi that will help the plant acquire nutrients. These exudates that are produced by the plant will be for selected beneficial bacteria and fungi. Plant exudates that select for bad guys are now dead.

Exudates are also released on the above ground parts of the plant. There are some similar exudates on the above ground parts of the plant but mostly different and will be for different types and numbers of bacterias and fungi. However, the bacterias and fungi are from the soil/rhizosphere.

Nutrient uptake

The energy from the sun (+ CO2), Photosynthesis, will create sugars( Double, triple, quadruple etc sugars i.e. c-c, c-c-c, c-c-c-c etc)

Sugars are transported into the roots to pick out certain nutrients like N, P, K, S, Fe, Co, Ca and others. Nutrients are from the crystalline structure of the parent material in the soil. The Nutrients inside the plant are out of circulation as long as the plant is alive and healthy. Plant will grow specific organisms to provide the necessary nutrition requirements.

The nutrient uptake process

Diffusion is a physical process that refers to the net movement of molecules from a region of high concentration to one of lower concentration.

Active Transport The movement of ions or molecules across a cell membrane in the direction opposite that of higher diffusion, that is, from an area of lower concentration. Active transport requires the assistance of a type of protein called a carrier protein, using energy supplied by ATP.

• If your plant root has no Nitrate then diffusion will occur which will bring in (nitrate) nutrients into your plant's root so the concentration will be the same as the outside of the root.

• If the Nitrate/Nutrients are equal on the outside of the root (Rhizosphere) and the inside of the root then the plant root will convert the nitrate (Nutrients) inside of the root into an amino acid because diffusion needs to keep happening to keep happening for the plant to still keep growing. (Active transport requires the assistance of a type of protein called a carrier protein, using energy supplied by ATP.).

• Simple diffusion is not the main process the plant root needs. Bacteria and fungi (Rhizosphere/biomass) will intercept the incoming Nitrate(Nutrients) and regulate the uptake of nutrients into the plant root.

• Specific bacteria and fungi is attracted by the exudates. The rhizosphere being fed and attracted by the plants roots from the exudates it produces protects the roots.

Conventionally grown plant in sub par soil/dirt vs non conventionally grown plant in healthy soil

• In most agricultural (conventionally grown green revolution style methods i.e. salt inputs) there will be a Low number of bacterial species vs fungal species

  • Bacteria species will typically be anerobic not aerobic

  • Fungal species will be at a lower ratio than bacteria species, instead of ideal 1:1 ratio

• In most Healthy soils the bacteria to Fungi ratios will be 1:1 and bacteria species will be aerobic. The Rhizosphere and soil will have exponentially higher bacterial and fungi species and amounts per gram of soil.

For Tomato Plant

• Bacteria species will typically be 5x more diverse in the soil

  • approx. 15 times more diverse in rhizosphere

  • total number of bacteria will typically be 2-3X greater

• Fungi species will be approx. 10-15x more diverse in the soil

  • approx. 50x greater in the rhizosphere

  • approx. 100-300x greater in total numbers of fungi

Predators and prey

The plant will tell the Bacteria and fungi what it wants. The exudates excreted by the plant roots will feed/ tell the bacteria and fungi what it wants. When bacteria and fungi become abundant and overpopulated than they will attract protozoas, bacterial and fungal nematodes into the root system. When they eat the bacteria and fungi they will release the nutrients into to plant soluble forms in the form of poop(waste). This happens around the root system, nutrients released into root system. Higher level predators will enter the system to control the protozoas, bacterial and fungal feeding nematodes i.e. Arthropods earthworms... birds, animals and then Humans are at top of this chain.

A healthy soil food web

A healthy soil food web will make nutrients available at rates that the plants require leading to better flavor and nutrition for animals and plants. Nutrients will remain more efficiently in the soil by no run off and leeching. Disease suppression will occur in a healthy soil food web; no need for pesticides. Soil structure will naturally be built which will reduce the need for water to be used.

Quiz

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Be Part of the Soil-ution!

https://www.soilfoodweb.com/

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How to develop knowledge and a career in regenerative agriculture with the Soil Food Web School!

From Dr. Elaine Ingham B.A. M.S. Ph.D

https://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfw-courses-overview/

https://www.soilfoodweb.com/about/

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Consultant Kickstarter Bundle

I am doing the Consultant Kickstarter Bundle for The Soil Food Web School

• https://promo.soilfoodweb.com/jan2022-coupon-consultant/?_ga=2.263782793.488540762.1644553986-1606617666.1644553986

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The First step is to Study the Science by taking the Foundation Courses:

https://www.soilfoodweb.com/foundation-courses-2/