Humates

Humates are a key ingredient in boosting soil and stock health, and plant nutrition. Increased production and quality in yields in many areas of agriculture throughout the world are achieved. However, many Agriculture/Producers have never heard of these soil/plant growth stimulants.

What Are Humates?

Dried Humates contain about 67% carbon and carbon is the element of all life.

Natural Humates are widely regarded as a premier source of organic matter and are thus recognised as the most effective of all soil conditioners, as they have a very high cation exchange capacity (250) and excellent water holding capacity of 60%. Humates contains up to 60% slow-release Humic Acids, which are renown for their capacity for nutrient release and improving soil structure while helping to maximise the benefits of applied fertilisers. Humic substances are the forest residues and other plant matter that have been preserved and compressed during geological upheavals. They usually contain large quantities of trace minerals, and up to 5,000 calories per gram, which in turn provides energy for plant growth.

To define a Good Quality Humate suitable for farm use the source needs to be tested for Heavy metals, extractable carbon, CEC, and trace minerals.

Good quality Humates are not ground up coal, but are often found in a layer above Leonardite or Lignite Coal. These plants-based residues contain two very powerful biological acids (Humic and Fulvic ) which have been shown to have a profound effect on plant growth and yield. There are literally hundreds of research examples carried out by private/public institutions and universities, using both private and government funding that confirm the many benefits of Humates and their derivatives. Soluble Humic and Fulvic Acids are the two Humate extracts which will become household names in farming circles during the coming decade, simply because they offer so many solutions to the range of problems that plague contemporary agriculture.

What Are the Benefits?

• Improved Fertiliser Efficiency: When Humates/Humic Acids are combined with any fertiliser DAP, MAP, Urea, SOP, SOA, etc, then that fertiliser will become much more stable in the soil through the binding of the product to carbon. Leaching and lockups are virtually eliminated as the plant nutrients are held in the soil and made available to the plant roots upon demand thus increasing the protein and mineral -contents of most crops. In addition, these fertilisers will be absorbed and utilised much more effectively (30 to 50% improved uptake) in the presence of humates/humic acids. Humates buffer the soils against damage, which can be caused by acid fertiliser applications.
• Long-Life Nitrogen: Applied nitrogen is notoriously unstable in the soil. Urea, for example, delivers about 28% of its 48% nitrogen lode. When combined with Humates/Humic Acids however, Nitrogen (Urea) is stored on the humate colloid by the free radicals within the humic and becomes a very stable, slow releasing nitrogen source. All 46 units are retained and the released pattern is extended by 60 to 80 days thus allowing 10-40% less nitrogen to be used. Humates/Humic controls the lost of humus which can be caused through the nitrification of nitrogen (Urea) by nitrifying bacteria.
• Biological Stimulation: Raw Humates with their Humic and Fulvic extracts are powerful microbial stimulants. Humic acid feeds and stimulates the Fungi component of your soil-life, while Fulvic Acid is a bacterial stimulant. Good-quality Humates contain a significant Humic and Fulvic component, so a soil application of Humates (liquid or granules) will feed and stimulate both the bacterial and fungal workforce. Remember that these two Micro-organisms can determine disease pressure and crop production, and any investment in their welfare is sound.
• Disease, Pest and Frost Management: When beneficial fungi and bacteria levels are increased by humic stimulation, then the microbial pathogens that cause disease are reduced by a process called 'competitive exclusion'. Poor mineralisation and low sugar levels or carbohydrates in the plant can magnify pest pressure. When Humates/Humic is mixed with fertiliser, they dramatically increase mineral availability and uptake, and they are critical in facilitating efficient utilisation of Calcium and Phosphate — the two elements that govern the production of plant sugars, carbohydrates and protein. In turn, high plant sugars create a plant with high brix levels, thus significantly lowering the freezing point, and thus reducing frost damage.
• Carbon-building: Recent CSIRO research has confirmed that organic carbon (humus) is the single most important determinant of profitability in farming enterprises. For every 0.1% that you can build your organic carbon levels and CEC levels, there could be an associated increase in your net profit and associated increase in your land value. Humates contain up to 69% organic carbon in their own right, but their carbon-building capacity is largely based on their bio-stimulating capacity. An activated, thriving, microbial population converts stubble and crop residues to organic carbon (humus) at a much faster rate. The faster you can convert plant matter to humus, the higher your organic carbon gains.
• Hormonal Stimulation: High-production agriculture involves more than nitrogen, minerals and microbes. Natural hormones play a large role in ensuring good germination, vigorous healthy growth and prolific flowering. Organic Porphyrins, furnished by humates, assist plants in trapping light energy, then transfer the energy through the electron transport system thus accelerating the growth of plants by improving photosynthesis. Humates contain a natural auxin-like hormone, which assists in plant functions and also stimulates beneficial micro-organisms like Azotbacter that produce other growth-stimulating hormones.
• Saline Management: The management of excess sodium is set to become a key issue in twenty first century agriculture. Saline irrigation water and high-sodium soils already feature as major problems in many areas. Humates have demonstrated a unique capacity to buffer sodium excesses in both water and soils. This buffering capacity can reduce or prevent plant damage normally associated with these excesses. Humates can also have a profound affect upon soil structure, opening up compact and clay soils and aiding with the rapid exit of excess sodium and salts.
• Fungi Stimulants: Humates are also a direct stimulant of the beneficial fungi called Mycorrhiza, which Ionise the roots of host plants. Mycorrhizal fungi are organisms that live inside and outside root cells and help them reach for nutrients by extending long threads called "hyphae" into the soil. The hyphae act as extensions of the root system sourcing nutrients for plants. Plants, in exchange, supply the fungi glucose and possibly other organic materials so the fungi can grow and in turn feed the plant. Predatory fungi control pathogenic nematodes by the production of mycelia, which invade their tissue and are then digested. There is a tremendous value in the productivity and protection of mycorrhizae microorganisms. Increases in growth production have been documented at 1600% for citrus, 4900% for grapes and 122% for soybeans. By the release of more or less carbon compounds into the cortical root cells, the host plant can regulate the abundance of mycorrhizal colonization from the plant root to the soil, thus increasing the growth and intensifying plant development along with crop yields.
• Toxic Cleaner: Humates/Humic stimulate soil microbes which help breakdown and clean up a range of toxic chemicals, oils, heavy metals and sprays which can reside in soils.
• Free Choice Mineral Introduction of (certified) humate powder as a free lick, the choice provides the opportunity for animals to self medicate to build up immunities and also acts an indicator of mineral shortages.