What Organic NutrientWhat Organic NutrientWhat Organic Nutrient What Organic Nutrient Sources Can We Use?Sources Can We Use?

IPNI Mission“To develop and promote scientific information about the responsibleTo develop and promote scientific information about the responsible management of plant nutrition for the benefit of the human family.”

Member Companies

Dr. Vladimir NosovSouthern & Eastern Russia

Dr. Steve PhillipsNA Southeast Region

Dr. Tom JensenNA Northern Great Plains Region

Dr. Paul Fixen

Dr. Tom BruulsemaNA Northeast Region

Dr. Scott MurrellNA Northcentral Region

Dr. Svetlana IvanovaVice President, Eastern Europe & Central Asia Group

Dr. Jiyun JinChina Program

Dr. Munir RusanMiddle East Consultant

Dr.  Adrian JohnstonVice President Asia Group and Oceania

Dr. Rob MikkelsenNAWestern Region

Sr. Vice President, Americas Group & Director of Research

China Program

Dr. Shutian LiChina Northwest Region

NA Western Region

Dr. Harold ReetzExternal Support & FAR

Dr. Ping HeChina Northcentral Region

Dr. Fang Chen

Dr. Terry RobertsPresident

Dr. Cliff Snyder

Dr. Mike StewartNA Southern & Central Great Plains Region

Dr. Fang ChenChina Southeast Region

Dr. Shihua TuChina Southwest Region

Nitrogen Program

Dr. Jose EspinosaNorthern Latin 

Dr. Fernando GarciaLatin America 

Dr. Luis ProchnowBrazil Program

Dr. Christian WittSoutheast Asia Program 

Dr. Kaushik MajumdarIndia East ZoneDr. K.N. Tiwari

India Program Dr. Raul JaramilloNorthern Latin 

America  Program Southern Cone Program

g

Dr. T. SatyanarayanaIndia South Zone

Dr. H.S. KhuranaIndia West Zone

America  Program

Dr Rob MikkelsenDr. Rob MikkelsenWestern RegionMerced, CArmikkelsen@ipni.netrmikkelsen@ipni.net

Organic ObjectivesOrganic Objectives

In general, the objectives of organic plant nutrition areIn general, the objectives of organic plant nutrition are to:

(i) work within natural systems and cycles(i) work within natural systems and cycles, 

(ii) maintain or increase long‐term soil fertility, 

(iii) use renewable resources as much as possible, 

(iv) produce food that is safe, wholesome and 

nutritiousnutritious

Some organizations offering organic standards:organic standards:

Canadian GeneralCanadian General Standards Board

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

Organic Fertilizer Association of California

www.organicfertilizerassociation.org

Organic Crop Production Standards Require:Organic Crop Production Standards Require:

• Use of organic seeds, seedlings or transplants

• Practices that enhance or maintain soil fertility

• Crop rotation or use of cover crops

• Enhance or maintain farm resources

P i d di• Practices to prevent pest and disease pressures

• Harvest and packing to prevent contamination or co-mingling

• Use only approved materials• Use only approved materials

• Verify that no prohibited materials used in previous 36 months

• Accurate records to verify practicesAccurate records to verify practices

http://www.sparknotes.com/biology/plants/plantstructures/section2.rhtml

You won’t know what is happening underground unless you take a look…underground unless you take a look…

Nitrogen is difficult to manage- regardless of the sourceg g g

Building OrganicMatter is the Goal…

In California,Difficult to Make Large Changes inSoil Organic MatterWithout ContinualInputs

Nitrogen is the plant nutrientNitrogen is the plant nutrient most often limiting crop growth

• Many biological and chemical processes cause first year recovery of N to be relatively lowfirst-year recovery of N to be relatively low

• Nitrogen in soluble fertilizer is fairly predictable

• Nitrogen in organic materials require mineralization beforebecoming available for plant uptake:

temperaturepHmoisturemoisturemanagement practices, etc...

BACTERIA cocci

have many different shapes

bacillus

SSS

filamentousspirilla

A

B t iBacteria occupy< 5 % of

Visualizing soil habitatsoil surfaces

Visualizing soil habitat

FUNGIhave many different life forms– Yeasts – Mycelia– Fruiting bodiesg– Spores

A major challenge for using organic N sources is knowing:j g g g g

Amount of N appliedAmount of N appliedand

Rate of N releaseRate of N release

Failure to synchronize N mineralization with crop uptake can result in:

• plant nutrient deficiencies (release too slow)• excessive N supply, leaching (not properly timed)

A nutrient source with a low C:N ratio may supply NA nutrient source with a low C:N ratio may supply N more rapidly than the plant’s demand - potential loss

A nutrient source with a high C:N ratio may supply NA nutrient source with a high C:N ratio may supply N too slow to meet the plant’s demand - potential deficiency

Commercial Organic N Fertilizers

A variety of excellent N sources can be used-(depending on the purpose and the price)( g )

High-N Plant Products:alfalfa meal (4% N), cottonseed meal (6% N), corn gluten (9% N), soybean meal (7% N)

Animal Byproducts:blood meal (12% N) guano (8 to 12% N)blood meal (12% N), guano (8 to 12% N)feather meal (14 to 16% N), fish meal/emulsion (2 to 14% N)

Seaweed Products:Seaweed Products:kelp products (1% N)... more common as K source (2% K)

Mined Products:sodium nitrate (16% N) mined from deposits in Chile and Peru(limited use for organic production)

N mineralization of four common organic N fertilizersSeveral commercial organic N fertilizers can provide rapid nutrition

(higher temperatures speed microbial mineralization)

Hartz & Johnstone, 2006

Composts and Manuresid ll t f Nprovide an excellent source of N

• Watch nutrient balance (usually more P than needed)• Raw manure may have restrictions on use• Some composts may be slow to release nutrients

Caution: Not all manure is the same…

For example:For example:107 dairy manure samples were incubated for 8 weeks:

• average of 13% N mineralization, but• 20% had N immobilization• 20% had N immobilization• 80% had from zero to 55% mineralization

Very hard to predictN mineralization ratesN mineralization rates

Van Kessel. 2002. Biol Fert Soils 36:118-123

Is P Fertility Inherently Differenti O i A i lt ?in Organic Agriculture?

•Organically grown crops still need P

• Soil properties which are affected by management/ cropping systems can alter P availability and cycling

Phosphorus Sources for Organic Agriculture

• Inorganic P SourcesB M l– Bone Meal

– Rock Phosphate

• Organic‐based P sourcesg– Green Manures ‐ ?

– Manures

C– Composts

Bone Meal:Bone Meal:

Dinosaur bones

Bones are very slow to dissolve inmany environments… may not meetl t t i t i t iplant nutrient requirements in a

reasonable period

Bone Meal

P i i l iPrimary mineral isHydroxyapatite

grinding bones increases reactive surface area

reacting bones with acid makesreacting bones with acid makes“single super phosphate”

Early P fertilizers were made from adding acid to animal bonesa y e t e s e e ade o add g ac d to a a bo es

Acidity required to dissolve the bone material - soil acidity or mineral acids

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungiy g

• Symbiotic association between fungus and root• Symbiotic association between fungus and root– Root provides food (carbon source)– Fungus increases root exploration and nutrient uptake… esp. when plants are stressed for P

• Organic Agriculture tends to increase VAMSometimes increase P uptake/crop growth and– Sometimes increase P uptake/crop growth …and sometimes not

Even with VAM, all crops still respond to P additions when soilreserves are low 

Credit: Randy Molina, Oregon State University, Corvallis

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal FungiArbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

…allows P to be extractedto a lower concentration, but provides no additional

P to the rootzone

Rock Phosphate

First U.S. phosphate depositsdiscovered and developed in South Carolina (1867)

Rock P is reacted withsulfuric acid or phosphoricacid to make the P soluble

Rock Phosphate as a P Source• Rock phosphate (RP) is a slowly soluble P source from• Rock phosphate (RP) is a slowly soluble P source from mined phosphate (calcium phosphates).

• Solubility is highly dependant on several factorsy g y pSoil type

Low pH (most important factor)

Low CaLow Ca 

Low P‐fixing Capacity

Organic C (high CEC)

RPRP sourceTotal P can range from 6 to 16%, 

(2% citric acid extraction is good predictor of availability)

Sedimentary RP Reactive/soft (North Carolina, Gafsa)

Fine particle size increases reactivity (surface area)

Wh t h t k P?What happens to rock P?

Ca10(PO4)6F2 + 12H2O 10Ca2+ + 6H2PO4‐ + 2F‐ +12OH‐

(Phosphate rock) (Dissociation products)

Reaction requires acidity to take placeReaction requires acidity to take place

Approved Rock P SourcesApproved Rock P SourcesPhosphate Rock (OMRI)

HumaPhos (Midwestern Bio-Ag)Ida-Gro pelletized Phosphate (Soda Springs)Ida Gro powderedIda-Gro powderedMontana Gray Rock (Montana Gray Rock)Montana Natural Rock Phosphate (Pacific Calcium)Phosphate Rock (North Country Organics)Phosphate Rock (North Country Organics)Phyta-Grow Granular Rock P (Calif Organic Fert)Rock Phosphate (E.E.G.A.L. Farm Service)Rock Phosphate (Fertrell Co.)p ( )Tennessee Brown Rock (Calcium Silicate Corp.)

Green Manures as a P Source?Green Manures as a P Source?

Green Manures – legume crops grown and 

tilled in to soil (not harvested).

S i t t il P th t iSome species can extract soil P that is 

unavailable to other crops

(e.g., white lupin, faba bean, nitro alfalfa).

Decomposition releases P

Some green manures may decrease P uptake 

of succeeding crop (e g white lupin)of succeeding crop (e.g., white lupin).

Green manures may increase P availability, 

but are not a P source

Manures and Composts as P SSources• Majority of P in manures and composts is inorganic Pj y p g

Source % Organic P % Inorganic PSource % Organic P % Inorganic P

Feedlot manure 25 75

Composted manure 16 84

Dairy 25 75a y 5 5

Poultry litter 10 90

Swine 9 91

Source: Eghball et al., 2002. J. Soil Water Conserv. 57:470-473.

Potassium

Many excellent sources of K for organic production

Kelp-based products are available as specialty K products

Kelp Meal( 0 0 2)(~0-0-2)

• Algit Norwegian Kelp Meal (Ohrstrom (P.B.) & Sons, Inc.) A• Fertrell's North Atlantic Kelp Meal (Fertrell Company) AFertrell s North Atlantic Kelp Meal (Fertrell Company) A• Ground Seaweeds (ABK‐GASPÉSIE, INC.) A• GroundsKeeper's Pride Kelp Meal 1‐0.15‐1.5 (Int Comp. A• Kelp Meal Fertilizer (Acadian Seaplant) A• Kelp Meal Fertilizer (Acadian Seaplant) A• Kelpropac (Productos del Pacifico, S.A. de C.V.) A• Thorvin™ Kelp for Plants (Thorvin, Inc.) ATh i ™ K l f Pl (Th i I ) A• Thorvin™ Kelp for Plants (Thorvin, Inc.) A

• Tidal Organics Kelp Meal (Tidal Organics, Inc.) A• Wegener's Oceanic Kelp Meal 1‐0.15‐1.5 (Rambridge Wholesale S l ) ASupply) A

Common Organic Potash Fertilizers

• Muriate of potash (KCl)

(0 0 60)(0-0-60)

“allowed only if derived from a mined ysource and applied in a manner that minimizes chloride accumulationin the soil…”(USDA, Canada)

Generally NOT recommended

Common Organic Potash Fertilizers

• Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4)

(0-0-50 + 18S)

Solar evaporation (allowed)

(0 0 50 + 18S)

Solar evaporation (allowed)

Reaction of KCl withsulfate source (not allowed)( )

Potassium sulfate production from theproduction from theGreat Salt Lake

P t i S lf tPotassium Sulfate(~0-0-50)

• Ag Granular SOP Organic (Great Salt Lake Minerals) A• Champion Sulfate of Potash Granulated (SQM NA Corp.) A• Choice Granular SOP Organic (Great Salt Lake Minerals) A• Choice Granular SOP Organic (Great Salt Lake Minerals) A• Mid Granular SOP Organic (Great Salt Lake Minerals) A• Mini Granular SOP Organic (Great Salt Lake Minerals) AN t l S l h t f P t h (N th C t O i ) A• Natural Sulphate of Potash (North Country Organics) A

• Quick Solution (Pacific Coast Resources Corp.) A• Soluble Fines SOP Organic (Great Salt Lake Minerals) A• Standard SOP Organic (Great Salt Lake Minerals) A• Standard Sulfate of Potash (SQM North America Corp.) A• Ultra Fines™ Sulfate of Potash (Diamond K Gypsum) A• Water Soluble Sulphate of Potash (SQM NA Corp.) A

Common Organic Potash Fertilizers

Potassium magnesium sulfate (K-Mag, Sul-Po-Mag, MagmaK)

(K2SO4 – 2MgSO4)

( h )

Langbeinite is mined directly in New Mexico

(0-0-22 with 22% S + 11% Mg)

Langbeinite is mined directly in New Mexico

Allowed as organic source of K

Langbeinite( 0 0 22)(~0-0-22)

• K‐Mag® Natural Granular (Mosaic USA, LLC) Ag ( , )

• K‐Mag® Natural Standard (Mosaic USA, LLC) A

• MagmaK (Intrepid) A

• KMS (Diamond K Gypsum) A

Greensand (glauconite)

Developed as potential K sourceDeveloped as potential K source

• low K (5 to 7% K2O)• low solubilitylow solubility • bulky and expensive to transport• poor source of plant-available K

Greensand (Glauconite)(~0-0-5)

• Greensand (North Country Organics) A• Jersey Greensand (The Fertrell® Company) A

Ash( 0 2 5)(~0-2-5)

Only wood ash allowedOnly wood ash allowed…manure, coal, biosolid ashnot allowed

Highly variable:contains whatever wasin the wood when burnedin the wood when burnedand was not volatilized

pH ranges from 9 to 13Lime equivalent of 8 to 90% depending on many factors

Manure and Compost KManure and Compost K

Highly variable K content depending on the feedstockg y p gmanure characteristics, and manure handling

G ll l blGenerally very solubleand readily available

Animal K is largelyexcreted in the urine…

so manure handlingmakes a large difference

SummarySummary

Many excellent sources of nutrients for organicMany excellent sources of nutrients for organic production… some materials not beneficial

Additional management is required to maintain adequate supplies of nutrients in rootzone

Use organic sources that are suited foryour particular needs and learn how theyyour particular needs and learn how they behave