July/August 2021 - 7

Compost blends:
a key to optimizing soil health
Using compost for increased tuber yields is not a new concept,
but in the last decade or so, a renewed interest in learning exactly
how it works means that scientists are actively researching the
effects of compost on soil health, harmful nematodes, returning
biology to the soil and releasing locked-up nutrients to grow the
most marketable potatoes possible.
Dr. George Bird, nematologist and professor emeritus at
Michigan State University (MSU), still completes research on
the impact of compost on soil health. A decade ago, Dr. Bird
coordinated a soil health survey of
96 potato fields in Michigan. The Cornell
University Soil Health Lab tested samples
from each field for chemical, physical
and biological factors. After analyzing
research, Dr. Bird concluded these sites
had outstanding scores for soil chemistries,
with little or no room for improvement.
With regards to the physical and biological
factors, however, these sites did not score
well. Dr. Bird found growers knew how
to utilize some compost and commercial fertilizers to net high
yields, but had a lack of soil biology across the board as well as
issues with compaction and other physical problems.
Since, Dr. Bird has made it his mission to educate growers on
how they can improve on the areas where their fields showed
problems, such as by utilizing higher quality compost and
expanding their use of compost. While researchers are still
figuring out exactly how much compost growers should use and
the soil health benefits, Dr. Bird is sure that growers know that
by using compost, they are growing a better product. " If any
farmer that you work with starts changing what they do, and
after doing it several times if they continue doing it, that is the
bottom line, the answer is it is working, " Dr. Bird said.
Dr. Bird also believes the growers are using compost as
something called a " pulsing agent " which can awaken biology
in the soil - sort of like water hitting a dormant bacterium.
The nitrogen that lives in soil is primarily tied up in living and
dead organic matter, inaccessible to tubers. The microorganisms
in compost also will consume that organic matter and excrete
the nitrogen in a form that plant roots can absorb, meaning
compost can help unlock inaccessible nutrients for potato plant
development and tuber yield.
Harmful nematodes are another area where compost has been
shown in research studies to be a boon to potatoes. Dr. Marisol
Quintanilla, research nematologist and assistant professor at
MSU, recently proved that 100% compost will kill all harmful
nematodes. The next step that Dr. Quintanilla is working on
is figuring out what is the optimal amount of compost to use,
considering costs and benefits, since 100% compost would also
reduce tuber yield.
Dr. Quintanilla tested the rates of composted manure that most
growers use - about 1.5 to 2 tons per acre - and concluded this
rate would provide significant control of harmful nematodes,
reducing the population. Future testing will check other rates
to ensure that the results of the study will provide the best rates
for growers to use. In field tests, the same plots also showed a
" significant difference in vascular discoloration that happens
when verticillium goes into the plant, " Dr.
Quintanilla said.
Dr. Bird and Dr. Quintanilla complete
tests with a variety of compost blends
from Morgan Composting, to see which
type of compost is best for potatoes and
to help Morgan Composting craft better
customized compost for potatoes and other
crops. " I am a real believer in compost
technology, because compost technology
helps soil chemistry, makes soil physics
better, and it also enhances the biology that is necessary to
make the soil work, " Dr. Bird said. " The beauty of the Morgan
Composting company is that if you know what compost you
need, what the properties are, Morgan Composting will make
you a designer compost to fill that bill, " he continued.
Ultimately, the goals of this research and of Morgan
Composting's efforts to customize compost for each grower's
needs are to promote sustainability and cumulative effects.
Brad Morgan started Morgan Composting after seeing the waste
that his former dairy farm produced. In the 1990s, Morgan
began to sell composted manure, known as DAIRY DOO, to
growers to solve soil health issues that the industry was facing.
Morgan Composting believes that using the right compost blend
combination for each field offers cumulative effects for growers,
helping reduce the chemical impact agriculture has on our
environment, managing waste problems, reducing compaction
and helping to overall increase sustainability.
" I think the longer-term success is from sustainability, actually
reducing the use of other chemicals and pesticides. Where
Morgan Composting fits in is the predictability aspect. We do
a lot more testing and have invested into more research and
product development than any other company that I am aware
of. I believe I can have an influence on changing the biological
performance of soil, " Morgan said.
To learn more about the customized compost blends created
specifically for potatoes by Morgan Composting, visit
dairydoo.com.
ADVERTISEMENT | © 2021 Morgan Composting
http://www.dairydoo.com
July/August 2021

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