Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fertilizer Conservation
A large problem for many farms is the lack of high-quality topsoil that's porous, rich
and full of nutrients, humus, soil fungi, and microbes. Fields that have been over-worked
for generations and depleted of most of their nutrient bases are now being replaced
with commercial fertilizer mixes ranging from general purpose mixes, to specialized
applications of anhydrous ammonia, to even, prescribed perfect-fit doses of most
everything that's needed, with the advent of precision agriculture technology.
Except for the permaculturalists, most growers are not likely going to move away from the
use of fertilizers or other soil amendments. While it's well known that plants only use a
portionofwhat'smadeavailabletothem,theremainingportionsofwhicharetypicallyleft
on the land to be used in subsequent planting cycles or more predominantly, are washed
away into ground-water supplies or top-soil runoff into nearby lakes and streams. The
over-fertilization of farmland is a cause of many environmental problems ranging from
algae blooms to phosphorous poisoning.
Using electroculture as an engineered approach could improve this situation. It would do
so by providing a way to either reduce or even eliminate the need for external fertilization
inputs.Inthecasethatafulldoseofinputsarestillused,itcanhelpwithgreatlyimproving
its utilization efficiency,making the best useofeverything that'sbeen added. Furthermore,
since soils may also contain natural bio-remediation or toxic-waste-consuming bacteria,
electrified soils can help with converting toxic excess into benign byproducts that may no
longer cause long-term harm to plants or other organisms in the food chain.
Remote Farming
In places where farming is performed not only as a means for making a living, but also for
basic survival, improving the fertility of soils without using any physical inputs can be a
great advantage over the logistic hardships present in remote locations.
For example, a grower from high in the Andes Mountains or in the middle of nowhere
may want to find a way to improve their crop, perhaps in terms of yield improvements or
to help bring forth needed traits like drought resistance. A great way to do this would be
throughelectroculture.Notonlywillthesesystemsberelativelyinexpensivetoimplement,
but more importantly, they will drastically reduce or even negate the need for shipped-in
fertilizer inputs. Work can also be reduced over the long term by electrokinetically moving
nutrients around through the soil itself.
