Finally, a Proven Solution to the Saline Soil Problem
The environmental contamination of the greatest number of acres of farmland in the US
is caused not by toxic chemicals or oil spills but by salt. Over 23% of irrigable land in the
US is now salt-impacted and the number grows every year. In the California San Joaquin
Valley alone, over 2.8 million tons of salt enter the valley each year and only 350,000
tons leave it. Worldwide, the problem is estimated at over 20% of all irrigable lands
being salt-impacted.
When soil is damaged by salt contamination, the harm extends immediately to native grasses, trees, shrubs and crops, preventing seed germination and plant growth.
Saline conditions also destroy favorable microorganisms vital to productive, balanced soil. Soil contamination is most prevalent in three main areas of environmental concern: agriculture/turf irrigation/fertilization, sea water penetration (including tsunamis) and oil production. In most cases, crop irrigation is pumped from underground aquifers that contain high amounts of soluble salts. When land is irrigated with this water, large amounts of salt accumulate on the surface. If salts are not leached or buffered adequately, there will be significant damage to plant roots.
When soil is damaged by salt contamination, the harm extends immediately to native grasses, trees, shrubs and crops, preventing seed germination and plant growth.
Saline conditions also destroy favorable microorganisms vital to productive, balanced soil. Soil contamination is most prevalent in three main areas of environmental concern: agriculture/turf irrigation/fertilization, sea water penetration (including tsunamis) and oil production. In most cases, crop irrigation is pumped from underground aquifers that contain high amounts of soluble salts. When land is irrigated with this water, large amounts of salt accumulate on the surface. If salts are not leached or buffered adequately, there will be significant damage to plant roots.
The two photos are of farmland in
Carrington, ND on a four acre parcel
thathad never grew anything. The
salt infestation as seen in the
"Before" photo is - as you can see -
gone in the "After" photo. The
farmer used SaltDetox-1051™, then
planted & successfully harvested his
first crop of barley within a total
four month period of time.
Until recent years, the idea of "soil salinity"
was not an issue that was common knowledge.
Farmers accepted the death of crops and
blamed in on pests or nature; gardeners just
kept adding more fertilizers or amendments to
growing plants, and little attention was given
as to the "how" and the "why". Sometimes
knowing the "how" and the "why" is critical to
solving an issue rather than just giving the
problem a temporary fix.
• Increased soil dispersion and swelling (plugging soil
micro-pores)
• Decreased soil flocculation, infiltration and conductivity
• Increased surface crusting
• Increased osmotic pressure at root boundary Increased toxicity in the plant cells
• Decreased microbial biomass in the root zone
• Decreased ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen
• Reduction of plant ability to uptake potassium
• Decreased soil flocculation, infiltration and conductivity
• Increased surface crusting
• Increased osmotic pressure at root boundary Increased toxicity in the plant cells
• Decreased microbial biomass in the root zone
• Decreased ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen
• Reduction of plant ability to uptake potassium
• The factors include:
• Improvement in soil base saturation percentages
• Improved soil structure
• Salt buffering & complexing
• Increased microbial activity
• Humus creation
• Reduced soil compaction
• Increased plant nutrient uptake
• Enhanced water management in the soil
• Improvement in soil base saturation percentages
• Improved soil structure
• Salt buffering & complexing
• Increased microbial activity
• Humus creation
• Reduced soil compaction
• Increased plant nutrient uptake
• Enhanced water management in the soil
The GFT Salt
Remediation Products:
SaltDetox-1051 & SaltDetox-1061
SaltDetox-1051 & SaltDetox-1061
The optimum application protocol is dependent on both the soil salt contamination levels and the sensitivity
of the specific crop being grown. A standard protocol normally utilizes about three applications at two week
intervals. Lower value crops normally require a lower level of treatment and higher-value more sensitive crops
will generally require a higher level. Unless the contamination level is coming from a high-salt irrigation water
source, most farms will only require a one season remediation treatment with lower maintenance treatment
levels in future years.
SaltDetox-1051 contains organic acids (i.e.,aromatic compounds) that break the sodium free from its current
combinations (with Ca, Mg, Clay, other heavy metals, etc...) and complexes it to the organic acid molecule. It
thus becomes an organic compound which will not then be toxic to the plant . Additionally, other nutrients in
the soil (Ca, Mg, Si, etc...) are broken free from their sodium compounds and carried into the plant for
nutrients uptake. This leaves the sodium alone to be carried away from the root zone by the water and even
leached deeper into the ground. The sodium then never gets a chance to be assimilated into the plant
because it has no carrier.
SaltDetox-1061 contains live microbes that increase the microbial activity in the plant rhizosphere. Healthy and active microbial populations in the soil convert organic K+, Mg+ and Ca++ to the mineral form which makes them more readily available to plants through osmotic action than any sodium present within the root zone. Therefore, the plant uptakes the K+, Mg+ and Ca++ and rejects the Na+.
SaltDetox-1061 contains live microbes that increase the microbial activity in the plant rhizosphere. Healthy and active microbial populations in the soil convert organic K+, Mg+ and Ca++ to the mineral form which makes them more readily available to plants through osmotic action than any sodium present within the root zone. Therefore, the plant uptakes the K+, Mg+ and Ca++ and rejects the Na+.
Saline soils are indicative of inadequate drainage to leach salt from the soil or upward
migration of salt from shallow ground water. Sodic (sodium dominated) soils have an
abundance of sodium. Reclaimed water, fertilizers, soil amendments, manure and poor
drainage may all contribute to salt and sodium buildup.
Salt concentration in soil is usually measure on terms of electrical conductivity (Ec) and sodium in terms of sodium absorption ratio (SAR). SAR measures the relative amount of sodium ions in the soil moderated by the amount of calcium and magnesium in the soil. Generally an Ec>4 is considered saline and SAR>12 is considered sodic. For most plants, soil conditions of Ec>5 and/or SAR>15 will lead to significant growth degradation and inability to absorb water.
Salt concentration in soil is usually measure on terms of electrical conductivity (Ec) and sodium in terms of sodium absorption ratio (SAR). SAR measures the relative amount of sodium ions in the soil moderated by the amount of calcium and magnesium in the soil. Generally an Ec>4 is considered saline and SAR>12 is considered sodic. For most plants, soil conditions of Ec>5 and/or SAR>15 will lead to significant growth degradation and inability to absorb water.
When soil is damaged by salt contamination, the harm extends immediately to native grasses, trees, shrubs
and crops, preventing seed germination and plant growth. Saline conditions also destroy favorable
microorganisms vital to productive, balanced soil. Salt contamination is most prevalent in two main areas of
environmental concern: agricultural irrigation/fertilization and oil production. In most cases, crop irrigation is
pumped from underground aquifers that contain high amounts of soluble salts. When land is irrigated with this
water, large amounts of salt accumulate on the surface. If salts are not leached adequately, there will be
significant damage to plant roots.
Excess salinity and sodicity can each have deleterious effects on both the soil physical properties and the health of plants in the soil. Salinity and sodicity are necessary for soil and plant health (at a low level), but they can both very quickly become toxic when they their levels exceed minimum thresholds. Chloridity is a micro-nutrient for plants at low levels, used by the plant to aid in photo-synthesis cell development and increased leaf area. However, at levels above 75 ppm, it starts becoming toxic to sensitive plants.
Salinity becomes a problem when enough salts accumulate in the root zone to negatively affect plant growth due to the increased osmotic pressure at the root boundary and the increased energy required by the plants to uptake the necessary amounts of water for their health. A positive effect of non-sodic salinity is increased flocculation of the soil due to the improved aggregation of the soil particles. Non-sodic salts, such as calcium and magnesium, are smaller and tend to bind better to the clay soil particles, causing fine particles to bind together into aggregates and leave larger spaces for water conductivity.
Excess salinity and sodicity can each have deleterious effects on both the soil physical properties and the health of plants in the soil. Salinity and sodicity are necessary for soil and plant health (at a low level), but they can both very quickly become toxic when they their levels exceed minimum thresholds. Chloridity is a micro-nutrient for plants at low levels, used by the plant to aid in photo-synthesis cell development and increased leaf area. However, at levels above 75 ppm, it starts becoming toxic to sensitive plants.
Salinity becomes a problem when enough salts accumulate in the root zone to negatively affect plant growth due to the increased osmotic pressure at the root boundary and the increased energy required by the plants to uptake the necessary amounts of water for their health. A positive effect of non-sodic salinity is increased flocculation of the soil due to the improved aggregation of the soil particles. Non-sodic salts, such as calcium and magnesium, are smaller and tend to bind better to the clay soil particles, causing fine particles to bind together into aggregates and leave larger spaces for water conductivity.
The combination of non-sodic and sodic effects can be either helpful or more harmful. The presence of
calcium or magnesium salts can counter some of the soil dispersion problems caused by the sodium
(improving the flocculation), and can displace some of the sodium, making it easier to leach it out of the
soil. However, the increased osmotic pressure associated with higher levels of any salinity quickly
overcomes the benefits and causes increased stress in the plants lowering their ability to acquire the water
they need to grow.
Increased levels of sodicity (beyond that needed to support plant cell
life) causes a number of both soil and plant problems. Some of these are:
The GreenFlash Technologies' Salt Detoxification Process and Technology
(GFT SDP) has been developed to overcome all of the conditions described
above.The process employs a multi-technology approach using a combination
of soil microbes, secondary metabolites, enzymes and organic acids to
specifically address both the soil structure conditions and the plant nutrient
and water uptake mechanisms. It includes several factors that work together
to greatly enrich the soil environment and dramatically improve the quality of
plants in the soil.
This process will dramatically improve soil and plant health, greatly reduce the impact of salt contamination
and provide an increase in both crop yields and quality. Results are normally visibly observable within two
months after the first application.
More detailed information on the product technology and on two major studies that demonstrated the performance of
the products may be obtained by clicking on the specific technical report title shown above.
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