Soil health is key to agricultural success, yet often overlooked. It’s time to say goodbye to soil problems with DeKompakt. In this article André Cilliers, AECI Plant Health marketing manager, shares how this unique product is a game-changer for soil health and plant nutrition.
Are you a farmer striving to achieve optimal crop yields? In the quest for agricultural success, one crucial factor often overlooked is soil health. Healthy soil is the foundation upon which bountiful harvests are built.
Fortunately, there is a solution that addresses multiple soil challenges while promoting vigorous plant growth: DeKompakt from AECI Plant Health.
This product is every crop farmer’s dream and a potential game-changer for your farm. DeKompakt consists of a soluble calcium form as well as fulvic acid in the form of Genie® ful. Genie ful is a long-chain organic acid derived from Leonardite.
Genie ful has a large surface area which increases the CUK of the product. The greater surface area and non-ionic wetting agent in Genie ful, together with the calcium, can displace salts in the soil.
Genius ful stimulates microbiology in the soil and has a positive influence on bacteria that mineralise nutrients for plant uptake. Calcium in DeKompakt is a plant nutrient that promotes root growth and strengthens plant cell walls.
Method of operation
When DeKompakt is applied, the highly soluble calcium is dispersed in the soil and moves between the soil colloids. Calcium can flocculate soil because it is a divalent cation that binds to the negatively charged clay particles to form larger aggregates.
The size of the calcium pushes the aggregates apart, giving the flocculation effect. This process creates more macro-pores in the soil, which improves the aeration of the soil and water infiltration.
Increased oxygen levels in the soil promote new root growth as well as increased microbial activity.
When the calcium reacts with the colloids, it kicks off the other cations. These cations react with the fulvic acid in the following order: Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+. If water is added, the displaced cations move deeper into the soil with the water.
In this way, the salts leach to the subsoil. Calcium in the soil solution stimulates root tip growth.
Due to more new white root tips, calcium can be taken up as essential plant nutrients much more efficiently. The soluble calcium in combination with the fulvic acid starts the calcium-stimulating mobilising microbiology, which then releases the calcium from the parent rock to become available to the plant.
The increased calcium levels in combination with the microbial activity in the rhizosphere stimulate the release of root exudates which further promote the mineralisation of calcium and other plant nutrients.
The effect
- DeKompakt flocculates the soil and increases water infiltration and aeration.
- Better root growth due to better aeration of the soil.
- DeKompakt displaces salts such as sodium (Na+).
- The microbial activity promotes mineralization of calcium from the parent rock.
- Plant nutrition through the calcium in DeKompakt.
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