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MICROBIAL DIVERSITY BEGINS WITH SUSTÅNE COMPOST BASED NATURAL FERTILIZERS

Suståne natural fertilizers provide humus rich with diverse microbial species.

High sand content and disturbed soils low in organic matter contain little or no buffering capacity for nutrient holding, or protection against invasive pathogenic organisms. Suståne fertilizers provide plant foods, nutrient exchange sites, and humus rich in beneficial microbial functional groups. Together these components contribute to several improvements in soil and soil-plant ecosystems. BBC Laboratories of Tempe, Arizona has developed a methodology for testing composts (and other organic materials) to determine the quantity and quality of the microbial communities. This testing is called Microbial Diversity Analysis and yields information specific to the characteristics as well as the performance expectations of Suståne compost based natural fertilizers. Microbial Diversity Analysis provides an overall index for Species Richness. [The following information is condensed and paraphrased from BBC Laboratories.]

What is species richness diversity (SRD)?

• SRD is a measurement of diversity that indicates the number of different types of microorganisms present in a sample.
• SRD determination of microorganisms in a particular microbial functional group is an index of the variety of microbes in that functional group. The index is derived from a standard microbial ecology formula and weighs the variety and concentration of species within a functional group.

Why is (microbial) diversity important?

• In soil or compost, a high species richness diversity promotes interspecies relationships and interpopulation interactions.
• Species richness diversity is important because it allows for more varied and flexible response to environmental changes.
• More diverse microbial communities can better cope with disturbance and stress than low diversity communities.

How can this diversity information be used?

• The index of a soil or compost sample can be compared to other soils and composts to determine the impact of cultural management practices on soil microbial communities; and to compare and evaluate different sources of microbial products.
• Total species richness diversity index (SRDI) is a useful tool for comparison of similar types samples.

The Vineyard Club, all-natural grow-in with Suståne 2001, Edgartown, Massachusetts

Interpretation of the Suståne bioassay

Heterotrophic aerobic bacteria in Suståne = 5.9 billion. (100 million cfu/gdw is minimum.) These levels are suitable for soil inoculums and disease suppression.

Aerobic bacteria to anaerobic ratio should be 10:1 or greater. Suståne ratio = 68 : 1, approx. 7-fold higher.

Yeasts and molds (Fungi) are important in soil nutrient cycling and soil particle aggregation. Suståne counts exceed minimum std. by 270%.

Actinomycetes help break down complex chitin and cellulose.

Pseudomonads cycle nutrients, improve plant phosphorous utilization and have been linked to biological disease control. Suståne yields 850 million CFU / gdw or 850% in excess of desired minimum.

Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria are low in high nitrogen composts like Suståne.

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