No more fertilizer.

[Oliver Buckle]

"After 40 years of research, Brazilian scientist Dr. Mariangela Hungria wins the World Food Prize for pioneering a $2 nitrogen-fixing bacteria treatment that replaces costly fertilizers, saves farmers $25 billion annually, and cuts 230 million tons of CO₂ emissions."

This strikes me as huge, no more worries about Straights of Hurmuz, cut global warming and food prices. Wow!

 

[DiggersJo]

Sound too good to be true! Wonderful.

 

[Ruderunner]

Ditto.

Link to article?

 

[Meadowlark]

"After 40 years of research, Brazilian scientist Dr. Mariangela Hungria wins the World Food Prize for pioneering a $2 nitrogen-fixing bacteria treatment that replaces costly fertilizers, saves farmers $25 billion annually, and cuts 230 million tons of CO₂ emissions."

This strikes me as huge, no more worries about Straights of Hurmuz, cut global warming and food prices. Wow!

I've been doing that more years than most have been on this Earth. Only, my process is much simpler...use the nitrogen fixing power of the legumes directly.

It is so simple that most don't believe it works and come up with excuses for not trying it.

It works!!

 

[Meadowlark]

Reading about her work, it seems she has found that using selected bacteria in combination enhances nitro production.

It has been long known that inoculates increase nitrogen fixation, but her twist seems to be co-inoculation.

I've personally used inoculation for decades but not co-inoculation.

This table illustrates:

The rating reflects how effective each bacteria is for that crop. means not useful or not applicable.

Crop Type	Bradyrhizobium	Azospirillum	Co‑inoculation
Soybean
Common bean
Cowpea
Maize
Wheat
Rice
Pasture grasses

Her work is primarily on tropical growing. I found it stunning that she apparently does not focus on Sunn Hemp which in my growing experience is by far the superior nitrogen fixing agent.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I found it stunning that she apparently does not focus on Sunn Hemp which in my growing experience is by far the superior nitrogen fixing agent.

Drop her a line enlightening her, scientists don't get overwhelmed by mail, she would probably be chuffed that someone is taking a direct interest.

 

[Ruderunner]

Or chaffed that a non PhD is trying to converse with her.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Or chaffed that a non PhD is trying to converse with her.

I don't think so, researchers are usually pleased that people take an interest.
For example, did you read about the Japanese boy who wrote to an American entomologist asking if his butterflies might have memory of him keeping them as caterpillars? She helped him to devise an experiment to test it, then arranged for him to read the results at an entomology conference in Japan she was attending.
It may be a bit sexist, but I would also expect that sort of reaction to be more likely from a male researcher, and even if they do the loss is theirs, apart from the cost of a letter, not even that if you can do it on line.

 

[cpp gardener]

It sounds like she's focusing on stimulating N fixation in the crop itself rather than crop rotation.

 

[Meadowlark]

It sounds like she's focusing on stimulating N fixation in the crop itself rather than crop rotation.

Yes, that is what I concluded also and what I meant when I wrote "...use the nitrogen fixing power of the legumes directly."

My process relies on the legumes fixing the nitrogen for later use for the crop plants. She apparently is taking a direct route with co-inoculation.

To support that, I've never considered rice or wheat or pasture grasses or maize as nitrogen fixing agents.

I can see where her direct method could be hugely beneficial to agri.

Depends somewhat on the cost...the devil is always in the details.

Meanwhile, every gardener in the World today has at their disposal (and always has) the tools to accomplish "no more fertilizer". I've been doing it for decades and enjoying the fruits of it.

What I will never understand is why they do not take advantage of it.

 

[Meadowlark]

I don't think so, researchers are usually pleased that people take an interest.

Maybe I will make an effort to contact her and share my findings. I don't really know how to go about that.

I will respectively make her an offer that Sunn Hemp used in the manner I use it in crop rotation will result in significantly higher ppm total nitrogen than her co-inoculation of the target crop. Yes, I would put good money on a wager also.

p.s. maybe I should offer her my saying "No N, P, K required"

 

[Oliver Buckle]

She did her work at the Embrapa National Soybean Center, in Brazil, and yes, they use the British 'er' spelling for center. There must be an e-mail address somewhere.