Should You Be Using Organic Acids In Agriculture?

Article Written By: Tom Sharp

Over the years, considerable interest has been shown in organic acids and their use in agriculture. These types of acids result from very old deposits of organic material that have decomposed for hundreds of thousands of years. This substance is decomposed much more than the humus that is so sought-after in the soil.

This type of soil is a rich brown to black and often originates in close proximity to coal deposits in the earth's crust and begins as peat, brown coal, soil, or leonardite. it is a tremendously big and complex molecule, at the molecular level, without any identifiable structure. Organic acids can be simplified into three different parts: humic, humin and fulvic.

Humic acid is the most frequently obtainable form of organic acid and is full of humic, fulvic and humin fractions. This is typically an unrefined product that has been mined, crushed and separated for proper dimension. The name humic "acid" is in fact a misnomer since it contains a pH of 11 or higher. gardening specialists will speak of humic acid as "humate". It is manufactured in a dry granular type as well as in the form of a liquid. Dry humic can compliment most dry fertilizer blends by mixing at a rate of 20 - 40 pounds per acre.

While merging with dry phosphate fertilizer, humic entices microbes to the prills which increase degradation of the waxy protective outside layer. This increases the rate at which nutrients become accessible for plant use. Humic also works as a chelating agent to shield phosphate from being occupied in the soil. This occurs since humic has a vast number of binding sites where nutrients can connect themselves and remain protected until they are required by a plant.

Liquid humic is commonly added to liquid nitrogen (UAN 32) or to liquid phosphate (10-34-0). UAN 32 is a very popular fertilizer used to top-dress winter wheat in northern Utah and Southern Idaho. The addition of humic to the fertilizer will minimize burning of the leaves and reduce the amount of nitrogen that can volatilize. It is not uncommon to use over 80 available units of nitrogen with the addition of humic on irrigated winter wheat. This is normally done as early as possible in the spring and usually in conjunction with an herbicide application using a ground rig.

Fulvic acid is beyond doubt acidic, containing a pH below 7 and is fairly easy to extort from the raw humic. It is generally a transparent to amber colored liquid and the actual fulvic ratio can differ between manufacturers. Quite a few herbicides and foliar nutrients act in response to the addition of fulvic to the spray tank. Fulvic, in general, is extremely active in the plant and the soil but is only a small proportion of the general humic.

Humins are the most difficult to extract but are the most stable in the soil and provide more direct plant activity than fulvic. Since they are so difficult to extract, the best way to apply humin to the soil is by using the full humic acid in its raw form.

Organic acids benefit the soil by increasing the water holding capacity, adding stable organic matter to the soil, and increasing the nutrient holding capacity. When added directly to the nutrients being applied, organic acids increase efficiency and protect the environment. In extensive research done by the University of Idaho, organic acids were shown to provide an economic return to growers in almost every trial.

About the Author

Tom Sharp is a Qualified Crop Consultant that is an authority in helping growers produce economical and environmentally sound crops. Tom recommends browsin to Intermountain Farmers Association for a wide range of effective agricultural supplies.

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