Microbial enzyme technology to keep CO2 for soil

On thousands of acres of oranges in Florida, farmers are adding beneficial fungi and bacteria to the soil to help the orange grow bigger and sweeter, as well as help the soil retain more CO2. We can call it 'probiotics' for the soil.

Agricultural land is one of the largest carbon pools in the world, according to Paul Zorner, Managing Director of Locus Agricultural Solutions, the startup company behind the technology of producing probiotics for soil . 'If used correctly, you will greatly reduce the amount of CO2 released into the environment'.

The soil will become 'more fertile' when there is more CO2.

Carbon dioxide in particular or waste in general can cause adverse effects on the environment. For example, the marine environment has now become hotter, threatening the habitat of many species. But with the land, that's another story. According to Zorner, the soil will become ' more fertile' when there is a lot of CO ₂ , so crops and farmers will benefit from this finding.

When plants absorb CO ₂ during photosynthesis to produce sugars for growth, they also release sugar through the roots, thereby attracting bacteria. Healthy soil is full of these bacteria, which will retain CO2 in the soil. However, conventional farming activities including excessive use of chemical fertilizers have destroyed the microbial balance. That's why enamel is born to help rebalance.

Locus is providing combined probiotics between Trichoderma harzianum , a beneficial fungus and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, a beneficial bacterium. The company also uses a unique production system that delivers high-density bacteria. By facilities just as big as a normal conference room, the company could produce enough for 30,000 farm samples a month.

Crops and farmers will benefit from this technology.

The company plans to build these complexes locally near farms nationwide.'One of the main features of the system is the ability to optimize for different conditions : soil type, crop, temperature, etc. The system can work with farmers to better understand how solve their specific problems' , according to Zorner. Finally, it can also be produced in developing countries.

The company began working at orange farms in Florida, where 32,000 acres of land are affected by pests and storms. The company's product, Rhizolizer , increased production by 14% on a 38-acre test site. Other tests show that it increases the amount of brix, a type of sweetness commonly found in fruits such as oranges and strawberries. For farmers, immediate benefits can be revenue, but there are still long-term benefits to the climate.

This technology increases the amount of brix, a sweetness measure commonly found in fruits such as oranges and strawberries.

In a 2018 trial also in Florida, it was measured in CO ₂ up to 4.38 cubic meters retained on each soil sample.

'I think people are really looking at land as a solution to climate change. We need to empower the farmer to do this, ' Zorner said.