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Mycorrhizal Fungi, Nature's Key to Plant Survival and Success

pacifichorticulture.org

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Re: Mycorrhizal Fungi, Nature's Key to Plant Survival and Success

#51

Post by troyvit »

grosswait wrote: post #48
troyvit wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey can you share any papers you've published on both of these topics? My partner just finished her Master's thesis in a similar vein and in her direct conversations with farmers and they have seen similar frustrating dynamics using fertilizer in their fields. She would like to share your work with them.

I’ve come across this YouTube channel and found it interesting. But only as a lay person. I’d be interested if your partner found this content credible. https://youtube.com/@soilworksllc-gsrcalcium

Hey here's what she says:

It's hard to tell. There's no shortage of these types of questions, or people claiming to have the answers to them (like this guy). Reductionist Western science isn't amazing at understanding if these holistic thinkers are full of crap or not. Certainly some of his ilk are snake oil salesmen, and some are visionaries. I *tend to distrust the ones who are selling the solutions. I tend to trust farmers and farmer-researchers who are describing what they're seeing, but aren't selling anything.

A lot of people I know have used their Bio5 reactor and are pretty happy with it. It's hard to know what sort of effect applying compost extract has on agroecosystems, because these are complex systems and the tools we use to measure soils are fairly crude. But I know producers who have stopped using nitrogen fertilizers entirely, and are applying this extract instead.

If you're interested in soil health in general, and learning about what you can do on whatever land you might be managing (including a garden plot or a yard), an excellent starting resource is NRCS's soil health principles, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/soil/soil-heal.... If you are able to find ways to meet these principles in your context, that's like 80% of the battle. The rest will sort itself out. Or if you have more specific questions about other things these guys are schlepping, let me know and I can give you my two cents or point you towards more resources.

---

Definitely give a shout if you have more questions. I'm biased but she's great at this. You can find some contact info for me in my bio.

Re: Mycorrhizal Fungi, Nature's Key to Plant Survival and Success

#52

Post by ch4s3 »

greenie_beans wrote: post #50
ch4s3 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> healthier more nutritious plants No data I’ve seen supports that claim. In fact Vaclav Smil’s book “How to Feed the World” collects a lot of data refuting this claim. > producing dead soil If less land needs to be under cultivation this doesn’t matter. You can rewind or reforest old disused agricultural land.

reads one book about agriculture

I referenced one book. I grew up on a farm, I’ve read a number of books, and I garden.

Thanks for condescending.

Re: Mycorrhizal Fungi, Nature's Key to Plant Survival and Success

#53

Post by ch4s3 »

hnmullany wrote: post #49
ch4s3 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Organic grown food is more nutritious This isn't categorically true if you're comparing the same variety of crop. Vaclav Smil does great work compiling data on this in his book "How to Feed the World". The overall environmental picture is also more complicated[1]. [1] https://ourworldindata.org/is-organic-agriculture-better-for...

I don't see any on data on nutrition in that reference. Organic grown food tends to be higher in anti-oxidants and secondary metabolites, possibly because the plant immune system is activated more frequently due to better microbial biodiversity. From what I remember at least - it doesn't maintain any advantage in macronutrient density (carbs/nitrogen etc.)

In Smil’s book? There’s tons of foot notes.

There’s just not compelling evidence for your claim comparing the same varieties, the research exists.

Re: Mycorrhizal Fungi, Nature's Key to Plant Survival and Success

#54

Post by ch4s3 »

goda90 wrote: post #47
ch4s3 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> would argue that cultivating a permanent mycorrhizal fungi ecosystem in fields will lead to longer term yields and few if any inputs in the end They should show up with data. My other concern is that regenerative farming advocates always seem to leave out labor inputs.

Gabe Brown says he uses cover crops, pastured poultry, and managed grazing on the same land as his primary crop and gets more calories per acre than monoculture farms, but also he has no chemical inputs, his soil is getting richer, and there's far less impact on the environment. And it's not like he doesn't have large farming equipment to do the work with. There's a learning curve and a risk factor in switching, but…

Consider this critique of his claims https://csanr.wsu.edu/regen-ag-solid-principles-extraordinar...
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