[Digestion] Digestate as fertilizer.

[Anand Karve]

Dear Brent,
there is an infinite variety of microbes in the soil. I had given this
as a project to a microbiology student in a local college. The
lateritic red soils in the mountains near our city are notoriously
deficient in phosphorus and yet they support a very dense forest. I
asked this student to take this red soil and to compare it with a
black one called vertisol, which is considered to be very fertile. He
was asked to add sugar to both these soils, incubate them for 24 hours
and then look at the microbes that have multiplied in each soil type.
He found that the microbes that multiplied in the red soil belonged to
a group called phosphate solubilizing bacteria. This showed that the
principle of survival of the fittest is valid even in the case of the
soil microbes. Had the soil been nitrogen deficient, the nitrogen
fixing microbes would have predominated in the population, had the
soil been saline, the halophytic microbes would have predominated and
if the soil were deficient in divalent iron, the microbes that convert
trivalent iron into divalent would have had a better chance of
survival. The minerals required by the microbes are the same as those
required by the plants and animals. When one applies a high calorie
substance to the soil, the soil microbes multiply their numbers. After
they have consumed the organic source, they begin to die and release
the sequestered minerals into the soil. The inorganic elements have
now been rendered highly water soluble because they are now in the
form of enzymes, co-enzymes, etc. and they are readily taken up by the
plants. Thus, when one depends on the soil microbes to feed the
plants, the plants always get the right type of minerals needed by
them.
Yours
A.D.Karve

On Sun, Jul 3, 2011 at 8:06 AM, bingham <bingham at zekes.com> wrote:
> Anand,
>
> My concern is the long term depletion of nutrients taken out of the soil by
> the crop that is removed.
> If the green manure or the sugar does not replace it the food crops slowly
> become
> lower in food value.
> This is not a problem for cotton or other fiber crops not consumed.
> There is more to consider than energy when balancing a livestock ration or a
> human diet.
>
> Many of the trace elements were transported to the soil by the actions of
> glaciers pulverizing the minerals
> then transporting them to the soil in Glacier Milk runoff.
> I do not know what  phenomenon caused CO2 levels to rise enough to end
> previous ice ages (i am skeptical
> that dinosaur flatulence caused it).
>
> Modern cultures that live down stream from modern glaciers seem to not be
> plagued by many of the modern day
> illnesses. It is my theory the food they eat is irrigated with Glacial Milk
> which contains the necessary trace elements
> to support good health.
>
> If the necessary minerals are not  locked up in the rock found in the modern
> day soil microbial action would not seem
> to be able to replenish them?
>
> Brent
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anand Karve" <adkarve at gmail.com>
> To: "For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion"
> <digestion at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 8:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [Digestion] Digestate as fertilizer.
>
>
> Dear Brent, what I am advocating is an absolutely new concept. snip
>
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>



-- 
***
Dr. A.D. Karve
President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI)

*Please change my email address in your records to: adkarve at gmail.com *