A UBC researcher is using her latest study to question whether soil additives are worth their salt.
A UBC researcher is using her latest study to question whether soil additives are worth their salt.
Miranda Hart, who teaches biology at UBC’s Okanagan campus, says despite a decades-long practice, there could be environmental consequences of adding bio-fertilizers into soil. It’s common practice for farmers to use bio-fertilizers as a method to improve crop production. These added microorganisms will live in the soil, creating a natural and healthy growing environment.
However, after a multi-year study on four different crop fields, Hart says the inoculants may not be doing much for the soil. The study, which involved researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, was published recently in Science of The Total Environment.
“There are so many companies producing microbes and they are lobbying farmers to be part of a green revolution,” says Hart. “These products are considered more environmentally friendly than fertilizers and pesticides, but there is no evidence they are working or that they are even able to establish, or grow, in the soil.”
Read more at University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus
Image: UBC Okanagan soil scientist Miranda Hart says there may be potential environmental consequences from adding bio-fertilizers into soil. (Credit: UBC Okanagan)
