Soil Structure, Water Retention, and Healthy Crops Optimal Growing Results Start with Enhanced Soil Structure
Getting crops the moisture they need to thrive isn’t just a function of how much water they receive through rainfall or irrigation. An equally important—if not more important—factor is how much moisture is stored by the soil and available to roots days later to assist in continual nutrient absorption.
High-performance soils are good at receiving and storing water rather than allowing it to run off or pool and evaporate. The key to their water-holding capability is their structure. When particles in healthy soil stick together to form aggregates, moisture is held in the spaces between them.
Plus, not only is the water retained, it’s transmitted to depth, drawing thirsty roots down with it where they are better protected from drought conditions. Soils that lack proper structure as a result of tillage, compaction, or surface crusting don’t fully leverage the water they receive, and crops suffer as a result.
Fortunately, as Heliae® Agriculture has found through extensive testing and field trials, soil structure can be improved by enhancing the soil microbiome. Bacteria, fungi, microalgae, and other organisms work together to decompose plant and animal material, and in the process, they improve soil aggregation.
The company’s innovative PhycoTerra® microalgae soil amendment in particular can improve soil microbial abundance by as much as 27 times over a control. Those microbes then go to work increasing soil aggregate size by as much as 33%. The result is acreage that accepts and stores water more efficiently, and that produces more abundant and drought-tolerant crops.
And, of course, this improvement in moisture storage dynamics has both short- and long-term benefits. Bigger and better harvests make retailers and their customers happy, and help growers increase the ROI on their acreage. At the same time, improving soil health improves its resilience, extends the viability of fields, and increases the value of a grower’s most important asset.
To learn more about Heliae® Agriculture and the conventional and organic formulations of PhycoTerra®, please visit phycoterra.com or call (800) 998-6536. To learn more about soil structure, please visit our blog.