<div>Dear Theo,</div>
<div>the organic manures are applied in huge quantities, because agronomists only look at the N,P and K content of the manure. Modern crop varieties need something like 100 kg N/ha. If the organic manure contains only 0.5 percent N, 1 ton manure would provide only 5 kg N to the crop. My way of offering mineral elements to the plants is based on feeding the microbes in the soil with a high calorie, non-composted organic material. All soils, whether they are good soils or problems soils, contain micro-organisms. If the soil is deficient in N, the nitrogen fixing organisms would predominate in the soil. If the soil is highly alkaline, the micro-organisms in the soil would be adapted to survive and multiply in a highly alkaline environment. Therefore, all one has to do is to apply a high calorie, non-composted organic substance to the soil. This will cause the prevalent microbes in the soil to multiply. In the process of multiplication, the microbes absorb the minerals from the extremely dilute capillary water, concentrate them in their cells, convert them into water soluble compounds and when they have exhausted the applied organic matter, they die and release the minerals sequestered in their cells for the plants to take up. No soil in the world is perfect, and yet, if you looked at the natural flora in any locality, you would never find any plant showing symptoms of mineral deficiency. This is because the plants growing in nature and the local microbes in the soil have established a symbiotic relationship. The plants drop their leaves, petals, bark etc. on the ground, which serve the soil microbes as organic food, and the microbes make the soil minerals available to plants. </div>
<div> One point which the agronomists miss is that the minerals dissolved in the capillary water in the soil are in a dynamic equilibrium. Even if a single molecule is removed from the solution by a plant or a microbe, it is replaced by another, coming into the solution from the undissolved pool of minerals in the soil. The proof of this is in the fact that although capillary water in soil contains silica at concentration of only about 10 PPM, a single crop of wheat removes from the soil annually 250 kg silica per ha. We tested this in a field that was continuously under cultivation every year, but which never received any fertilizers or manures. The soil analysis of N,P and K gave the same figures year after year, for seven years that we tested the soil. </div>
<div> The strategy outlined by me requires very little organic matter to be given to the soil and it therefore allows most of the agricultural waste, municipal organic waste and catle dung to be converted into energy. There is no need for it to be converted into manure, because agriculture does not need it. <br>
Yours</div>
<div>A.D.Karve<br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 7:09 AM, Theo Bijman <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:T.Bijman@thecogas.nl">T.Bijman@thecogas.nl</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Dear readers,</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Referring to the question about vermiculture. </span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US"> Why should you want to use vermiculture when you have already digested solid waste that could be applied to the fields directly? With raw manure, I could see the advantage, as you would get a somewhat dry, concentrated and easy to apply organic fertilizer, without the acidifying effect of manure. Is it the reduction in volume that is an advantage? Or are people used to using vermiculture organic fertilizer and do not know the usage of digested solid waste? Maybe somebody has some thoughts about this. Do you apply liquid waste to the composting heaps (the liquids which remains when separating digistate into solids and liquids?) to keep it moist?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US">Thanks</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US">Theo Bijman</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US">Matt and listers, Hello,<br><br>There are two projects in South India doing vermiculture of digestate: SKG Sangha and VK-Nardep that have been highlighted on the list, as they both won Ashden Awards. There are videos available for both projects, although the one for VK-Nardep is a sequence of still photographs taken at the time of the judge's visit.<br>
<br>The Ashden Award links are: </span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><a href="http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/skgsangha" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: blue" lang="EN-US">www.ashdenawards.org/winners/skgsangha</span></a></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US"> and </span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><a href="http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/vknardep" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: blue" lang="EN-US">www.ashdenawards.org/winners/vknardep</span></a></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US">. A direct link to SKG Sangha is: </span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><a href="http://www.skgsangha.org/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: blue" lang="EN-US">www.skgsangha.org</span></a></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <span lang="EN-US">and to VK-Nardep is: </span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><a href="http://vknardep.org/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: blue" lang="EN-US">vknardep.org</span></a></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US">.<br>
<br></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Regards,<br><br>David Fulford<br><br>On 11/11/2010 01:33, Matt Lorig wrote: </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" lang="EN-US">There was a project mentioned on the list (maybe a year or two ago) about a vermiculture project using the digestate from a biogas plant. I think it was in India. I think they were using sawdust to soak up the water and composting it for a period of time and then introducing the worms. I can't find the link now. Does anyone remember what I'm talking about? Or does anyone have any info about vermiculture combined with biogas? <br>
<br></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Matt Lorig<br><a href="mailto:mattlorig@yahoo.com" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: blue">mattlorig@yahoo.com</span></a></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>Digestion mailing list<br><br>to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br><a href="mailto:Digestion@bioenergylists.org">Digestion@bioenergylists.org</a><br>
<br>to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page<br><a href="http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_lists.bioenergylists.org</a><br>
<br>for more information about digestion, see<br>Beginner's Guide to Biogas<br><a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/" target="_blank">http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/</a><br>and the Biogas Wiki <a href="http://biogas.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">http://biogas.wikispaces.com/</a><br>
<br><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>***<br>Dr. A.D. Karve<br>President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI)<br><br>*Please change my email address in your records to: <a href="mailto:adkarve@gmail.com">adkarve@gmail.com</a> *<br>
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