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Technologies / Plant resistance to biotic stresses

 

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES BY AGROVIT:

The complex biopreparation BIAVA for increased plant resistance to biotic stresses

Vitrious fertilizers: a new class and a new approach.

The ability of phosphate glass to support the vital activity of microorganisms and to serve as a source of their nutrition has become a basis for creation of a fundamentally new class of mineral prolonged action fertilizers. The glass-like, nitrogen-free, chlorine-free complex fertilizers AVA by AGROVIT Ltd. comprise a high-temperature fast tempered melt of different salts of the metaphosphoric acid, which is a principle source of basic nutrient elements for the plants. AVA contains potassium, calcium, magnesium metaphosphates alloyed with boron, sulphur, selenium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, molibdenium, cobalt etc. Supercooling (rapid quenching) of the glass melt in the process of production freezes it in thermodynamically non-equilibrium state. This increases the mobility and availability of microelements for microorganisms and plants.

The granules of this revolutionary glass-like fertilizer dissolve gradually over the span of several years with the rate depending on the soil temperature. As a result, a match between the plants' need for nutrition and the availability of microelements is achieved, leading to almost complete (90%) utilization of the fertilizer. Such an 'intellectual' mechanism of nutrition is also very important when it comes to environmental aspects of agriculture, as vanishingly small amounts of fertilizer get into local rivers and lakes. Seasonal variations in the plant activity and the rate of biomass growth occur simultaneously with the corresponding changes in the granules' dissolution rate.

The technology of manufacturing allows changing the number and concentrations of the alloying elements, thus varying the properties of the fertilizer within a wide range, including the redox properties critical for catalytic activity. This yields a possibility of optimizing the composition of the fertilizer with respect to the plant cultures, soil properties and climate.

Nitrogen assimilation and soil microflora.

It is known that nitrogen availability is a key factor for development. Paradoxically, plants themselves cannot process the atmospheric nitrogen, which is widely available. Instead, they use the "services" of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Thus, to provide plants with necessary amounts of nitrogen it is necessary either to feed the soil with the nitrates or to stimulate the growth and development of nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Azotobacter, Clostridium, Azosperilla, etc.

The glass-like metaphosphate based granulated fertilizers become a superb medium for microorganisms because of the following reasons:

  • The microelements within the granules form clusters with high catalytic activity. Such clusters become natural points of attraction for the microorganisms, providing them with the necessary nutrition
  • Porous (foamed) structure of the granules yields very large surface area, which can be occupied by the microorganisms. This is similar to the action of biological aquarium filters, where the porous filling medium within the filter is occupied by the bacterial colonies.
  • The effect of "catalyst fatigue", i.e. decrease of catalytic activity after many cycles of catalysis, is amended by dissolution of the surface, so that new clusters of microelements are available for catalysis. At the same time the dissolved microelements feed the microorganisms and the plants, being thus "recycled" after finishing their catalytic activity.

Experiments showed that replacement of nitrogen containing crystalline fertilizers by the vitrious nitrogen-free fertilizers led to the reduction of harmful environmental effects by nitrates and nitrites. At the same time, plants managed to receive the required amount of nitrogen because of the stimulating by the fertilizer of nitrogen fixing microorganisms in the soil.

The complex biopreparation BIAVA is designed for increasing crop production and recultivation of technogenically damaged soils. It constitutes porous vitrophosphate carrier impregnated with a variety of microorganisms, as well as with some organic growth regulation factors. These microorganisms include various nitrogen fixing bacteria, as well as antagonists to known plant diseases. When introduced into the soil, this biopreparation increases substantially the resistance of plants to infectious diseases, boosts up the population and diversity of nitrogen fixing microflora and exerts a long-lasting effect on soil fertility maintaining high agricultural productivity at the same time.