MSU researchers featured in Popular Science
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Popular Science magazine set out to look for eight solutions to world hunger and found one in East Lansing.
MSU researchers C. Adinarayana Reddy and Lalithakumari Janarthanam have created a blend of soil bacteria to increase crop yields, while reducing use of fertilizers made from fossil fuels.
Reddy, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, said the Popular Science article has brought attention to Bio Soil Enhancers Inc., the bacteria blend newly on the market. He said the magazine interviewed him two months ago, but he hadn’t heard from them since.
“We came to know about the article only when a bunch of people called us,” he said. “So many people, so many different specialties are calling.”
He said he got a call from a reader who carves cabinets and has no involvement with farming but just wanted to congratulate him.
Janarthanam, a visiting microbiology and molecular genetics research associate, said modern high-yield crops typically need heavy fertilization, which damages soil.
“This is something unique, because all over the world now, farmers are looking for products that can keep up the soil health,” she said. “If the soil health is maintained, plant health is maintained. If there is plant health, there is environmental health. If there’s is environmental health, there is human health.”
There are two formulations of Bio Soil Enhancers, she said, using different blends of naturally occurring bacteria and fungi. They can be used on different types of crops but haven’t been tested on different types of soils.
Reddy said they screened 300 strains of soil bacteria to find the most effective ones at converting nitrogen and phosphate into forms plants can use. About 20 were used, he said. The bacteria also stimulate plant hormone production.
“The plant comes to early flowering and maturity,” he said. “If some of our products can stimulate hormone production, then we don’t have to buy the plant hormones (anymore).”
He said it also would reduce the cost of producing food.
“If you are growing corn, the fertilizer cost is close to 50 percent of the total cost,” he said. “The farmers (using the soil bacteria) claim they have been able to reduce their fertilizer costs by about 50 percent.”
Wayne Wade, the research manager of Bio Soil Enhancers, based in Hattiesburg, Miss., said most farmers he’s talked to aren’t eliminating fertilizer, but are reducing it as they get comfortable with the blend.
“If you’re growing cotton or corn for a living, you’re at risk (changing your strategy),” Wade said.
Reddy said the company produces the blend under a license from MSU.
Lou Elwell, the company’s CEO, said of the eight solutions Popular Science proposed, the blend is one of only two on the market. He said the blend was shown to be effective in the three years of testing Mississippi required before it could be sold.
“We saw with the farmers, anywhere from a 20 to a 90 percent increase in yield,” he said. “When you get out in the real world, there’s all these variables.”
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DJ
(08/05/09 10:24am)Report
Replacing the necessities of plant life, namely fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with bacteria is complete insanity if that’s what’s been suggested (there was a suggestion that petroleum based fertilizers are evil, nice try environmentally retarded folks). Talk to your local farmers, there is a potassium shortage and it is serious business, we daresay famine.
Al Gore
(08/05/09 10:31am)Report
My Nobel Peace Prize gives me the qualifications to say that Malthusian population reduction is important to maintain my preconceived notion of optimal mean earth temperature. Burning oil and coal is evil, we should live in a pastoral post-industrial society that offshores all technological and corporate operations to China and India. Come to think of it, some fertilizers are petroleum based, therefore we should all eat organic food that has not been fertilized so as to lower crop yield….err, I mean, save the earth from Global Boiling.
All Americans will have Ph.D.s and be professors at federally controlled Universities, who needs manufacturing? Blue collar manufacturers just don’t have the vision that we have up on Capitol Hill (third world slavery).
P.S. I will continue to live in luxury and use more electricity heating my pool than the average American does heating their house.
Green Peace
(08/05/09 10:36am)Report
Your my hero Saint Gore! U sav us all frum Global Boyling!
Benjamin Campbell
(08/05/09 12:33pm)Report
What makes you think anyone listens to Al Gore? I case you missed the memo, he got cheated out of his job. Do you think AL gore invented global warming? Why dont you guys go back to watching Glen Beck and leave the typing to us adults.
common sense
(08/05/09 1:11pm)Report
Thinking humans have no effect on climate because Al Gore is a hypocrite is about as dumb as not buying DNA and evolutionary changes because James Watson is kind of a dick.
I’m not naming names, but there’s a political base that would be described by both of the above, and they ought to let the rest of us progress.
Green Peace
(08/06/09 1:26am)Report
Yea, u tell ‘em common sense. Stupid GOP, HAHA, kEITH Olderman made a funny on elephant politicians, HAHA. LOLz, then Rachel maddow snickered, sneered, nodded and pushed out a few rushed wordz about the G.O.D. HAHA, I made pun, take that global boyling deniers! I am 100% shur that present temps are perfect paradise Eden temps, because anything else mUST be wrong! STOP GLOBAL BOYLING!
DJ
(08/06/09 1:30am)Report
Rachel Maddow was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. Guess how Cecil Rhodes made his money? THAT’S RIGHT, South African apartheid in order to rob the African people of their diamonds. RACHEL MADDOW WAS EDUCATED WITH APARTHEID MONEY, So was Bill Clinton!!! How’s that for your civil rights Demtards?
DJ
(08/06/09 1:51am)Report
If mean earth temperatures rise, then the Great Lakes may fill with more fresh water because ocean water will evaporate more vigorously, then when the clouds come ashore and rain on the highlands, rivers will be filled with more freshwater for industry, drinking water, and dams.
The growing season in Northern states, especially Minnesota and northern Michigan, will greatly increase leading to boon years for American agriculture, this would fuel our green economy. If sea levels rise, then Wall Street and Los Angeles (maybe Hollywood will be partying downtown when it happens) will be inundated. No complaints here.
meg
(08/07/09 2:10am)Report
DJ, it says in the article “Reddy said they screened 300 strains of soil bacteria to find the most effective ones at converting nitrogen and phosphate into forms plants can use.” – it’s taking advantage of stuff in the soil that’s not currently being used, by converting it right there.
bob digital
(08/09/09 2:08am)Report
Of course high-yield crops deplete the nutrients in the soil. The problem is that there are too many humans and we need to produce too many crops. Grow up, humanity.
Kate
(08/09/09 3:09am)Report
DJ and Bob digital(by the way cool last name bob),
Mr. Environmental Genius, “there was a suggestion that petroleum based fertilizers are evil, nice try environmentally retarded folks”….UHHHH do you live under a friggin rock? Petroleum is a fossil fuel, therefore once we use all of it, we ain’t gettin it back. Why do you think you hear so much hype about hydrogen fuel cell research? This is a RENEWABLE energy technique. Reduction of fossil fuel fertilizers are a GOOD THING…Also bob digital,(man, what a fricken cool name), bacteria are living organisms that have enzymes to convert hydrogen and nitrogen from the air we breath to create nitrate and ammonium ions(NO3 and NH4) they give plants ammonia and nitrogen and the plants give them carbs….Which is also a GOOD THING because air isn’t going anywhere and so the nutrients aren’t going anywhere either. So don’t worry bob, the soils not getting depleted lol. Plant roots and bacteria are friends…unlike the researchers and DJ because DJ called people who think on a level he can’t compete with “Retards” lol.
peace out