🌿 Human Health Part 2 | Information

Human Health | Waternet

Soil Fertility, Crop Nutrition and Human Health Part 2

Introduction

This is the 2nd part of the paper which was presented by NEIL FULLER at the Acres USA Conference, "Blueprint for Eco-Farming", St. Louis, Missouri in 1997.

The Benefit of Microbial Associations

The diagram shows a close-up of a plant root hair, with two types of beneficial microbe. The first is a bacteria known as Rhizobia, which infect root cells and form nodules. These nodules contain the enzyme ferrodoxin which traps nitrogen from the air. This nitrogen, which can reach levels of 250 kg/ha/year, is released into the soil as the nodules begin to decompose.

The second group of microbes are Mycorrhizae, which live within root cells and send thread-like hyphae out into the soil. These hyphae create a myco-rhizosphere that is active in releasing minerals from the soil and transporting them to the root.

Mycorrhizae can increase root surface area by upto 100,000 times and actively transport nutrients to the plant from upto 40mm away.