Do lignite-derived organic amendments improve early-stage pasture growth and key soil biological and physicochemical properties?

Little, Karen; Rose, Michael T.; Jackson, W. Roy; Cavagnaro, Timothy R.; Patti, Antonio F.

doi:10.1071/cp13433

Cited by 32 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…For example, Little et al [44] found mostly positive shoot and root growth responses with humic acid addition to two different soils for lucerne but not for ryegrass; microbial biomass increased for ryegrass, but not for lucerne on the high pH soil, but was not associated with plant yield. The Masters thesis of Van Tonder in South Africa also illustrates the inconsistency of humate findings.…”

Section: Inconsistent Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are few rigorous field studies to show benefit from on-farm humate/humic acid application, and findings are variable and inconsistent [1,3,9,20,39,44]. For example, Little et al [44] found mostly positive shoot and root growth responses with humic acid addition to two different soils for lucerne but not for ryegrass; microbial biomass increased for ryegrass, but not for lucerne on the high pH soil, but was not associated with plant yield.…”

Section: Inconsistent Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incisive publications on this subject include those by Mikkelsen [1], Karr [3], Billingham [9,20], Susic [37] and Little et al [44]. These authors, along with a USDA [39] report, all conclude that despite most published studies showing benefits (including increased growth) of HS, including humates, to plants, there is little evidence for their effectiveness in the field.…”

Section: Exaggerated Claimsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Many studies show little or no benefit when humates are applied to the field at recommended rates (for K humate commonly 5-10 kg/ha), which are likely to be too low to be effective [1,3,9,20,44,[47][48][49][50][51]. It is unlikely that, at these rates, there are sufficient quantities of the active components to produce the claimed benefits [52].…”

Section: Are Recommended Application Rates Too Low For Effect?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, more information is needed on interactions between HS and plants, and their impact on nutrient cycling. Field studies that include a wide range of application rates, including some rates well above those commonly recommended, are needed to match HS with specific soils and crops [44]. In the meantime, farmers can keep careful records and conduct their own field trials to determine product effectiveness [1].…”

Section: Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Commercial Humates in Agriculture: Real Substance or Smoke and Mirrors?

Lyons

Genç

2016

Agronomy

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Soil humic substances (HS) are known to be beneficial for soils and plants, and most published studies of HS and humates, usually conducted under controlled conditions, show benefits. However, the value of commercial humate application in the field is less certain. This review attempts to answer the question: How effective are commercial humates in the field? Commercial humates, especially K humate, are used widely in agriculture today as "soil conditioners". A wide range of benefits is claimed, including growth of beneficial soil microbes; deactivation of toxic metals; improvements in soil structure including water retention capacity, enhanced nutrient and micronutrient uptake and photosynthesis; resistance to abiotic stress, including salinity; and increased growth, yield and product quality. Despite this, there is a surprising lack of solid evidence for their on-farm effectiveness and findings are often inconsistent. The industry relies largely on anecdotal case studies to promote humates, which are often applied at unrealistically low levels. It is recommended that products should be well characterised, physically and chemically, and that careful field studies be conducted on foliar humate application and pelletised humates at realistic rates, targeted to the seedling rhizosphere, for a variety of crops in a range of soils, including low C sandy and saline soils.

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Section: Inconsistent Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Inconsistent Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Exaggerated Claimsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Are Recommended Application Rates Too Low For Effect?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Commercial Humates in Agriculture: Real Substance or Smoke and Mirrors?

Lyons

Genç

2016

Agronomy

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Holistic Assessment of Biochar and Brown Coal Waste as Organic Amendments in Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Applications

Amoah-Antwi

Kwiatkowska-Malina

Fenton

et al. 2021

Water Air Soil Pollut

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Organic amendments can improve soil quality which has knock-on environmental and agronomic benefits. However, the use of new and emerging organic amendments such as biochar and brown coal waste (BCW) in soil systems requires continuous holistic assessments for robust consensus building in their environmental and agricultural applications. To examine the application of BCW and woodchip biochar (BIO) in agroecosystems, secondary data from literature on environmental (soil, air and water) aspects were compiled with primary agronomic data from a 3-year multicropping field trial and collated with supplementary data on economic factors (e.g. cost and availability). For the field trial, replicated plots were amended with FYM (for comparative reasons), BCW and BIO at 30, 24.2 and 12.8 for t ha–1, respectively, with and without NPK and cultivated in a cropping sequence of maize, potato and barley. At the end of each season, soils were characterised for pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and fertility (macronutrient contents) in addition to nutrient uptake, nutritional quality and yield of crops. Compared with FYM, biochar and BCW were found to be associated with greater improvements in soil quality (e.g. building of soil structure and C sequestration) and knock-on water and air quality benefits mainly facilitated via increased cation retention and humic-linked sorption which abated gaseous emission and mitigated nutrient and heavy metal leaching. These along with variable improvements in soil chemistry, fertility and nutrient uptake in the agronomic field trial accounted for increased mean crop yield across treatments (higher with NPK): FYM (32.7 and 71.7%), BCW (33.5 and 60.1%) and BIO (21.8 and 48.2%). Additionally, biochar and BCW have lower pollutant (e.g. heavy metals) contents and were found to provide additional sustainability and net abatement cost-benefits. While the agronomic benefits of biochar and BCW were slightly lower compared with that of FYM, their lower environmental footprints and associated sustainability benefits are clear advantages for their adoption in environmental and agricultural applications.

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Using humic products as amendments to restore Zn and Pb polluted soil: a case study using rapid screening phytotest endpoint

et al. 2017

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Do lignite-derived organic amendments improve early-stage pasture growth and key soil biological and physicochemical properties?

Abstract: 16Commercial lignite-derived products, sold mainly as humate preparations, are widely 17 promoted as plant growth stimulants leading to higher crop yields. These products are

Cited by 32 publications

References 54 publications

Commercial Humates in Agriculture: Real Substance or Smoke and Mirrors?

Commercial Humates in Agriculture: Real Substance or Smoke and Mirrors?

Holistic Assessment of Biochar and Brown Coal Waste as Organic Amendments in Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Applications

Using humic products as amendments to restore Zn and Pb polluted soil: a case study using rapid screening phytotest endpoint

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