Often-overlooked nutrient boosts crop production

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY

There’s a lot of talk — and debate — about carbon credits and how they might put more money in farmers’ pockets, but there’s another way to build a “carbon wealth account.”

“Carbon is a foundational building block of every nutrient in the soil and is essential for crop production,” said Dr. Jim Ladlie, founder and CEO of ProfitProAG.

About 45% of plant mass is made up of carbon. “Carbon must be managed properly, since it’s one of the most limiting resources in crop production,” Ladlie said.

Carbon plays many key roles in natural cycles that can enhance crop production.

“Beneficial bacteria and fungi love plant-derived carbohydrates and need soft carbon sources like root exudates,” said Al Toops, chief agronomist with BTI Ag LLC.

The microbes open nutrient pathways in the soil that enhance nutrient uptake into the plants. After the growing season, plant residue decomposition starts the cycle over again.

Soil carbon is “black gold” on a farm. It’s also something that farmers can readily influence.

Stored soil carbon is a bit like a bank account, Toops said. While certain farming practices allow farmers to grow this bank account, withdrawals come from soil erosion and other factors.

“What’s in your carbon bank account?” Toops asked.

Carbon provides many key benefits

The importance of carbon can’t be overemphasized when it comes to producing healthy crops with stronger yield potential, Ladlie said.

The advantages of carbon include: n Improved nutrient availability and uptake. Many nutrients in the soil must be processed by microbes before plants can take up the nutrients. Beneficial fungal species break down carbon residue and move it to the soil, explained Toops, who champions the BeCrop Test, which sequences strains of DNA to determine what microbes are in the soil and also measures various factors related to carbon. Beneficial microbes, especially mycorrhizal fungi, are essential in releasing valuable nutrients that are locked up in the soil. When these natural pathways work properly, crops can tap into the goldmine of free nutrients stored in the soil. n Reduced soil density. Soil compaction is no asset to efficient crop production. It can make seedbed preparation

See CARBON, Page 11C

-Farm News photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby CARBON IS A FOUNDATIONAL BUILDING BLOCK of every nutrient in the soil and is essential for crop production, says Dr. Jim Ladlie, founder and CEO of ProfitProAG.