Mike O'Rhissey's important work...

[martian]

Old news perhaps
http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/pages/...e-In-No-Till-For-Crop-Nutrient-Absorption.php
They are obviously delicate little things and need a bit of help. Inoculants are selling well in the USA, in an attempt by farmers to kickstart the population and get healthier plants that can forage for their own nutrients. Is it worth it? Should we drop rape from the rotation (unless we leave lots of weeds in...) in order to help the Mikes?

 

[The Ruminant]

"Mustard is a natural biocide.... killing off mycorrhyzae" - should any brassica be grown in a rotation if we want to encourage mycorrhyzae?

I do wonder whether we need to spend money on additives such as these. Maybe I'm overly cynical but I'm suspicious of firms looking to cash in on the latest trends, especially with things as natural as mycorrhyzae and their long-lived spores.

 

[Simon C]

I have tried mycorrhizae inoculation with wheat seed and could not find any benefit. No difference in the look of the roots or the crop, no yield difference and the lab testing for mycorrhizae colonization of the roots could not prove anything either.

It could be that they were the wrong ones as it now seems they are quite species specific but I am not inclined to bother any more. If there are a few spores in your soil, they will soon multiply.

Only time an inoculation might work would be in a plough based system, after rape. This would be a good place to do trials and demonstrations, if you are selling the stuff.

 

[SilliamWhale]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HMcQKz3H0yY