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A novel patent -SW2 cropping system to making inputs more effective in China
Dec. 7, 2015
Stephen Carr is the CEO of International Soil and Water Renewables, LLC and owner of the Chinese patented SW2 cropping system of soil imprint technology. Carr also takes charge of public speaking, authoring, consulting affairs for the U.S. State Department and also various USAID offices in Africa, researcher in China and Mexico. Carr recently took an interview with AgroPages and taking offers on his patented SW2 soil conditioning system.Q1: would you please introduce the secret to making inputs more effective?
The secret to making inputs more effective is nutrient mobility, today we see the continued emergence of boutique inputs designed to accomplish more functions than ever to aid in plant development. But perhaps the day has come to address a seldom discussed but ever present problem of soil compaction and its limiting impact on a plant’s roots being able to uptake the fertilizers and nutrients for good plant health and much sought after yield increases.
Q2: How to get back to the basics and tackle an old problem in a new way?
International Soil and Water Renewables, LLC has patented a one of a kind system for dealing with problems in the soil associated with limited plant root uptake of essential growth elements. The new Chinese patented SW2 soil conditioning system solves the 10,000 year old problem farmers have faced: how do you have good soil tilth without the inherent problem of loose soil being eroded away by wind or water movement. The issue is about the difference between soil compaction and soil consolidation.
Soil compaction occurs when soil is compressed above 250psi. There are many sources of soil compaction from heavy equipment to animal traffic even rain can compact soils! The newly patented SW2 system not only repairs compacted soils but due to it’s ability to create micro factures in the soil surface the SW2 cropping system can prevent soil capping that was associated with old tillage tools such as culitipackers and Cambridge rollers.
We all know how soil compaction can limit crop health. In my travels around the world I have continually been faced with the same crop limiting villain, soil compaction. Me and my trusty soil penetrometer read the same sad story wherever we go. Some farmers believe the solution to lower crop yields is simply to dial up more and more plant inputs. This real world mis-guided solution usually only burns up crops and poisons the environment. We need a modern cropping system that aids the plant in taking advantage of all the new combinations of crop inputs from old stand-bys like nitrogen and phosphorous to the latest product from ICL, “Polysulphate”.
The exact nature of the impact of soil compaction on plant root uptake is seldom understood. For example, denitrification rates can increase in compacted soils due to limited aeration. The SW2 cropping system conditions the soil in a new mechanical way to increase water fill pore space to aid in nitrogen uptake. While nitrogen does occur in the soil, today’s artificial nitrogen has a larger molecule which is more difficult for a root to synthesize. And few farmers know that phosphorous does not move more than a quarter inch to get to a root. In compacted soils then this trip is nearly impossible.
In fact the chart above shows the relative mobility of essential plant nutrients in the soil. Essential plant nutrients found in today’s boutique fertilizers and other inputs containing trace elements such as manganese, iron, and boron require a non-compacted soil medium for effective travel to a molybdenum molecule for a chemical transfer to the root filigree. Also electro conductivity in the soil is enhanced when consolidated soil exists as opposed to compacted soils.
The SW2 cropping system uses the creation of mini-reservoirs to capture and hold water where it falls and quickly sequesters the water into the newly consolidated soil preventing costly and environmentally dangerous soil erosion.
Q3: Could you show some case to show the efficient result by SW2?
In fact, in a paper presented to and published by the ASAE (American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Paper Number: 032315) reveals the following:
“The mini reservoirs created by the SW2 roller harvested almost 100% of the rainfall in the area and there was no significant evidence of runoff on the field plots. The picture in Figure 10 shows the mini reservoirs actually working during a rain on July 14, 2002.
Water harvesting using the new RST (Reservoir Tillage System) in a farm planted with beans in semiarid Central Mexico. Actual rain occurred on July 14, 2002 with an average intensity of 25 mm.h-1.
No runoff or soil erosion occurred during rain on the farms were the new system was used. Evidences of large amounts of runoff and erosion were observed in conventional planted farms that served as control. The area exposed to the impact of raindrops is significantly reduced once the imprints start to fill with water. This reduces the impact of raindrops and consequently the soil surface sealing is reduced significantly. About 50% of the soil surface area is protected by the water harvested, which dissipates the energy of impact caused by falling raindrops.
After July 14, 2002, no rain was recorded rain in the area until September 6, 2002. Several farms planted with beans, including the reference plots, suffered from the long drought. However, the use of the subsoiler for soil preparation and the SW2 for water harvesting at planting time allowed enough infiltration from previous rains, which helped the plants to survive, with no significant evidences of drought effect.”
This detainment of soil moisture from the reservoir wells enhanced microbial nitrogen activity. This is further illustrated by the higher grain moisture content recorded by the imprint treatments. Grain test weights were elevated by: 1 to 2 pounds per bushel in each imprint replication test. This increase in grain weight is the direct result of using the right inputs in the right soil condition with the proper water fill pore spaces created by the new SW2 cropping system.
The picture above taken from field trials at the Hangzhou Academy of Agriculture Science (HAAS) by researchers and assistant director, Wenyue Chen shows the result of the SW2 cropping system on the right compared to the control bean on the left. Notice the longer tap root of the SW2 sample which was able to get further down in the soil to reach the available moisture in the root zone. Also notice the overall larger root ball mass capable of accessing larger amount of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, the three magic elements necessary for maximizing today’s plant nutrient performance. Another important trait of the SW2 planted bean was that it emerged from the soil an impressive eight days prior to the emergence of the bean pictured on the left. This earlier healthy emergence means crops get to the market earlier, not only meeting early market demand but allowing for the potential of double cropping and higher plant counts per acre.
Q4: Besides these effects, are there any other advantages created by SW2?
In fact the chart below shows less nitrogen loss with the patented SW2 system.
By using the SW2 system in both pre-plant and post-harvest operations you can insure an even distribution of soil and plant inputs throughout the year.
For fertilizer and other input salesman, this offers farmers a value added tool to their operational farming platform, thus enhancing the effectiveness of their inputs.
In closing, as today’s soil input markets get ever more competitive finding ways to make input products more effective will be the new edge required to stay on the top of market share. I am often called in to do soil test with farmers crying that all their inputs seem to be of little effectiveness. But my trusty penetrometer usually reveals a nutrient mobility problem due to varying degrees of soil compaction.
Want lower cost with higher yields while stopping soil erosion in its tracks and getting more moisture in your soils with greater nutrient mobility to get inputs to the root zone? Try addressing a basic issue in a new way.
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