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Sound Soils

Challenge 21st century

The challenges of the 21st century are legion and there is an increased appreciation of the importance of change:

  1. a reduction in the use of antibiotics, artificial fertiliser and chemical pest control to improve the quality of food

  2. reconstruction of the countryside in order to keep it liveable by stimulating local jobs and decentralising production of energy and resources

  3. slowing down the increase in diseases of affluence, such as obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases; reduction in cholesterol levels, autism, ADHD, influenza, Alzheimer's, arthritis, asthma and allergies, microbial resistance to antibiotics etc.

  4. weaning the world from its dependence on minerals and petroleum for the production of fuels, lubricants, bulk chemistry, fertiliser, agricultural chemicals and pharmacy, by building a bio-based economy. In a bio-based economy the aforementioned fuels and basic chemicals are produced by agriculture. The reasoning is that this will reduce the dependence on unstable regions (Middle East and Russia) (EU policy)

  5. tightening of environmental targets in preparation for new regulations on groundwater and surface water

  6. transition from fossil fuels to CO2-neutral fuels by stimulating the production of green energy (electricity) and green fuels like bio-gas, bio-diesel and synthetic diesel
    • wind turbines
    • bio-energy:
      • wood gas generation and wood burning, which also produces carbon
      • manure fermentation with remnants from agriculture and food industry as a co-substrate: cooking oil, offal, agricultural waste etc
      • production of synthetic diesel from biomass;Thermal Physical Transformation, Fischer Trops process

  7. integration of the 'Cradle to Cradle' or 'Waste = Food' concept into society.
    Within this concept production processes and products have to contribute to the development of the earth. All products have to be suitable for use as soil nutrition and cannot contain toxins. All non-biodegradable parts have to be fully recyclable

  8. CO2 fixation through the use of compost as a soil enhancer. A recent study comissioned by the EU has shown that over a period of 100 years the use of compost to enhance soil binds 54 kg (119 lbs) CO2 equivalent per tonne of compost in the soil annually. According to a different EU study the advantage is even greater if other positive effects are taken into account, like easier tillage of the land; less energy spent on tillage and harvesting, better soil moisture retention, lower disease pressure, lower susceptibility to erosion.

If - as a society - we take the above challenges seriously and we want to see results in the short term and at the lowest possible price, we will have to be brave enough to set out a radically new course and follow new paths that have not yet been fully understood by science. Up till now the priorities of scientific research have primarily been focussed on the sale of chemical and pharmaceutical products because of supposed economic advantages.

Recovery of soil fertility
What we need to start with, in fact, is to change the focus of manure legislation from 'the control of mineral flows' to 'supply of organic materials combined with the right minerals and trace elements' in order to activate soil life which should then also regain the functions that have been developed in the past millennia. Most of the aforementioned themes will so be realised in a natural way. This will have to be supported by awareness programmes, however, for at least a whole generation in order to change (deeply) ingrained fertilising and feeding patterns, but also methods of food preparation.

The Role of Nitrogen(N) in the soil
Products derived from photosynthesis make up 95% of a plant, while the other 5% are minerals from the soil. At least 85% of nitrogen and carbon needed for crop growth is taken up from the atmosphere and not the soil, as postulated around 1850 by Von Liebig. The artificial fertiliser theory with respect to NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) is based on Von Liebig's ideas. Nitrogen is only required in spring to initiate crop development and during very strong growth to avoid stagnation of growth. Nitrogen is only effective, though, when the soil contains enough organic matter.

In the Netherlands this organic matter has been lost almost completely through leaching as a result of the long-term use of fertiliser, the disappearance of the food web and manure injection. Consequently, the soil is now merely a 'substrate' and we don't use its powerful complex natural system any longer. Liebig has realised his mistake at the end of his life, but by then he was dismissed as old-fashioned. The fertiliser industry was in full swing and had come to be an important source of income.

Essential Interaction between soil and plant roots
Through photosynthesis plants produce not only cellulose but also sugars, amino acids, proteins, oils, fats, vitamins, plant hormones etc. Through the roots these life giving resources are exchanged with the soil for moisture, minerals and phytohormones, which are released by soil life. In the soils a very interesting, but rather unknown, interactive process takes place: various stimulants stimulate plants to release specific compounds (that are important for soil life and improve uptake).

Essential trace elements
The soil, plant and animal systems are highly integrated, the result of millennia of development and evolution. If parts of them are not healthy, this will be recognised in their interaction and they will be removed naturally. A healthy development and vitality depend on enough fuel (carbon) and a correct balance between minerals and trace elements.
The presence of trace elements is particularly important. Trace elements act as catalysts in specific metabolic processes in which they don't get used up.

Cattle for instance need approximately one picogramme (10e-12 gramme) of cobalt a day; an amount that would fit on the tip of a needle. If cattle do not ingest it through their food they will become susceptible to a variety of diseases.

Harmful side-effects of fertiliser:

  • lysine deficiency
    A number of amino acids produced by plants are essential, i.e. humans and animals depend on plants for their synthesis. Take lysine for example. Lysine is only synthesised in sufficient amounts if nutrients are delivered to the plant naturally by the soil.
    If artificial fertilisers are used, crops can no longer regulate mineral uptake biologically and they will be forced to absorb the excess of dissolved minerals (mostly nitrogen, phosphorus and/or potassium) through osmosis to avoid dehydration. This causes a disruption of normal metabolic processes, leading to reduced lysine synthesis.

    This lysine deficiency leads to a threefold increase in food consumption in humans and animals. The body has a kind of 'lysine counter'. A crop with a lower lysine content is consumed in greater amounts, until the stomach is filled: the consumer is undernourished with a full stomach. In the long run health will be seriously undermined, leading to deficiency diseases. Linus Pauling has for example characterised cardiovascular disease as neglected scurvy, the result of a chronic vitamin C deficiency.

  • Ammonia emission
    Another effect of an uncontrolled supply of minerals through fertiliser is the removal of the excess of nitrogen by the plant through evaporation of ammonia (NH3). The evaporation of ammonia or alcohol by healthy plants signals to herbivorous insects that the plant in question has to be removed. Insects have an infrared gas detection system for the detection of diseased plants which allows them to find these plants even in the dark. The hairs on the bodies and legs of these insects, and also between the units of their compound eyes, act as antennas; the length of the hairs determines which frequency can be detected (each gas has its own specific wavelength).
    This leads almost automatically to an increased use of chemicals for pest control by farmers. This is typical. What happens above ground also happens below ground.

    Instead of treating symptoms we should rather treat the cause: the recovery of soil life.

  • Soil life destroyed
    As with alcohol, dissolved minerals (salts) in fertiliser are lethal to soil life at concentrations of more than 2% and reserve food supplies (humus) will be relied on to limit the damage.

The soil food web
Soil biology can be seen as a large food web with different types of organisms serving as food for each other. It's a question of eating and being eaten. The bacteria and fungi are at the base of the food web and are eaten by all.

Soil organisms have the following functions:

  1. repression of diseases through consumption of pathogenic organisms

  2. fixation of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate etc) in the organisms. All organisms use the citric acid cycle to supply energy throught the transformation of adenosine triphosphate into diphosphate and monophosphate (ATP, ADP, AMP) and vice versa.
    It would therefore be a mistake to think that biologically healthy soils contain more free phosphate.
    The phosphate in the microorganisms is not released. The phosphate is rather a measure of the biological activity of the soil

  3. mineralisation of nutrients. Soil organisms release minerals to the plants as quickly as plants need them. Plants control these mineralisation processes.

  4. improvement of soil structure through:
    • soil organisms fixing organic matter as humus
    • by pushing and digging soil organisms bring more air into the soil and improve:
      • rootability;
      • gas exchange in the soil (oxygen supply, CO2 removal);
      • drainage of excess water;

  5. breakdown of toxins, e.g. phenols and tannins from tree bark etc
    Note: activation of soil biology leads to an almost 100% reduction in the leaching of minerals.The soil turns into a bioreactor and water treatment plant.

  6. improvement of crop quality through the release of plant growth hormones and chemicals;

  7. reduction of weeds through introduction of minerals into the topsoil, better drainage and breaking interfering layers in the ground etc. Weeds act like a mirror to those who use the soil in that they indicate whether there is a deficit or excess of minerals and organic matter or the presence of an interfering layer or bad drainage etc.

Humus (organic matter) as a prerequisite
Sufficient and healthy soil life in the soil depends on a sufficient amount of humus (organic matter) in the soil, with a minimum of 4%. Humus is organic matter which has been converted/digested by soil life and is built into the soil matrix. Humus is made up of complex carbon compounds with chain lengths upwards of 60 carbon atoms with protein groups etc. In soil samples the organic matter content is determined by heating to about 600 Celsius. Using this method, all the organic matter is burnt. That's why the minimum for healthy soil for organic matter is about 5% (by weight) organic matter.

This is the minimum percentage required for sufficient nutrition for soil life for the whole growth season. To compensate for losses during harvest and burning because of tillage sufficient organic matter has to be supplied every year to maintain a high enough level of biological activity.

Humus properties
Humus has a number of unique properties that are indispensable for healthy crop development:
  • buffering of moisture: 1 kg/litre humus binds 4 kg or litre (8.8 lbs or 0.88 gallons) of water
  • humus improves soil structure
    1. in sandy soils the grains of sand stick better together, making them less susceptible to erosion. Humus also slows the percolation of water from the topsoil (root layer) to deeper layers;
    2. in clay soil humus creates more space, making the topsoil less likely to clog up and providing better drainage;
  • humus binds both positive and negative ions. The clay complex is negatively charged and will only bind positively charged minerals (metals: Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, etc). Humus is partly positively and partly negatively charged and will not only bind metals but also negatively charged minerals like sulphur, phosphate, boron. These minerals are extremely important for protein synthesis, transport of minerals and energy management etc;
  • humus can be easily absorbed by plant and soil life (astronaut food). This explains why there is a decrease in organic matter content when dissolved minerals are supplied, as happens with artificial fertiliser and slurry.
  • the electromagnetic properties of humus enable it to absorb dew/moisture from the air into the soil. During dry periods crops on humus rich soils experience less stress from moisture deficiency and in cold conditions crops sustain less frost damage. Crops also recover faster and better in the event of drought or frost damage;
  • Because of the greater number and variety of soil organisms resulting from a better food supply, humus also represses diseases, both soil diseases (e.g. nematodes) and crop diseases.

In the Netherlands one can find almost magical qualities of humus on the open fields of the Veluwe, Achterhoek, Twente and Drenthe. Be aware that the organic matter that is applied annually results in a 1 mm increase in soil thickness at the end of the growing season.
There are open fields with a soil thickness of 0.60 to 0.80 m (2-2.7 ft). In mollisols (rich in humus) organic matter content has decreased, after growing maize for years, from approx. 12 to about 2%. With less than 2% organic matter agriculture is no longer possible and the soil can then only be used for substrate cultivation.

Moreover, as a result of excessive use of slurry and fertiliser on most of the fields, the mobile main elements as well as trace elements have disappeared through leaching. Without trace elements it is impossible to grow healthy crops and chemical pest control becomes a necessity.

Restoration of fields
If we want to lower nitrogen losses and at the same time improve foodstuffs and animal welfare, we need to restore the fields' organic matter, combined with organic minerals in doses of 30 to 40 tonnes per hectare. Also, trace elements will have to be supplemented. This supplement of trace elements will be a one-off, however. Trace elements act as catalysts and are not used up in metabolic processes in the soil. Using artificial fertiliser doesn't have to be wrong if it is combined with a source of organic matter: compost, seaweed, seaweed extract, lime derived from seaweed. The nice thing is that through the addition of 5% by weight of an organic source the amount of artificial fertiliser can be reduced by two thirds. The combination of fertilisers is 20 times as effective and minerals will not leach any longer.

Exemption of organic materials from manure accounts
If we want to develop the production of bio-energy from biomass through fermentation the minerals from the digestate (the fully fermented substrate), when they are separated and become available as natural minerals, will have to be exempted from the manure accounts.
Minerals from animals that are converted into organic minerals through composting will also have to be exempted from manure accounts. At the moment, straw or grass with the merest drop of manure on it is treated as pure manure.
Due to the current scarcity of fertiliser chemicals (phosphate is almost impossible to find these days) the importance of organic fertiliser will grow. The barriers to its production and use that exist at the moment will have to be lifted, though.

Coherence in agriculture
Agriculture in its current form can make the switch to practices based on and aimed at the living soil, with all the associated benefits, as we argued above, if it switches to so-called natural closed-cycle farming. This approach is also referred to as the soil-plant-animal system in dairy farming (PMOV). The aim is to develop a coherent system. Coherent refers to the functioning of a complex natural system that has different internal and external feedback mechanisms which allow for a well-balanced development. Farmers can make this cycle function positively again, through different interventions in the system:
  • taller grass,
  • year-round pasturing,
  • later mowing,
  • different feeding practices,
  • cross-breeding with cattle that have a higher natural resistance to disease,
  • adaptation of stables,
  • adding carbon/organic matter to manure/soil
As a result, the soil will be brought back to life and cattle and milk will be healthier. How to bring about and facilitate this switch is elaborated in a different appendix. The exemptions described above apply in that case.

Change in processing of foodstuffs also required
Apart from the use of carbon, minerals and trace elements to make fields biologically healthy again and thus safeguard the production base for foodstuffs, changes will have to be made to the processing of farm products and to the way health-improving food is prepared.

American research has shown that children with autism can become almost completely normal again in 3 to 4 months if they drink a glass of unpasteurised milk with a spoonful of cod liver oil. The consumption of unpasteurised milk also has a cholesterol-lowering and allergy-suppressing effect, and the symptoms of Alzheimer's and rheumatoid arthritis abate. These effects can perhaps be attributed to the fact that unpasteurised milk has a composition very similar to blood serum. Upon consumption the milk is absorbed into the blood and pushes contaminants into the lymphatic system. As a consequence, they can be more easily removed and are not deposited in skin tissue or joints.

Remember:
  • Soil is the key to good food and health
  • Insects and diseases are symptoms of a weak crop, not its causes
  • Use artificial fertilisers in such a way that crops do not come into contact with salts, or chelate the salts with an organic component (seaweed, lime derived from seaweed etc)
  • Fertile soil means large plants and healthy products
  • Crop yield: quality « quantity
  • Organic matter is the energy source for healthy soil life
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