Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Soil, Water & Air Resources Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306284
Title: Can humic products become mainstream amendments for improving crop production?

Author
item Olk, Daniel - Dan
item YAKIMENKO, OLGA - Moscow State University
item KUSSOW, WAYNE - University Of Wisconsin
item Dinnes, Dana

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Humic products have been used in cropland production for several decades but only by small numbers of farmers. Appreciable proportions of field studies demonstrate efficacy of the products for numerous crops, justifying their further evaluation. Their adoption by mainstream farmers could be accelerated by addressing critical knowledge gaps: (i) Thorough published reviews of field evaluations, including assessment of how product efficacy is affected by field factors including crop, soil type, management practices, weather patterns, and economic yield level; (ii) Multi-location, multi-year field evaluations published in leading journals that assess field factors and describe crop responses at key growth stages; (iii) Elucidation of the soil or plant processes responsible for crop responses; (iv) Identification of the compound(s) in humic products that promote crop growth; and (v) Improved quality control of humic products, including standard procedures for measuring their humic and fulvic acid contents and rapid bio-assays for distinguishing effective products from inert frauds.