50-million-year-old reserves of humified organic matter are a substance called lignite. It is commonly known as brown or soft coal, a substance usually equated with energy production. Researchers at the Technical University of Dresden have found that this very old, carbon rich plant material has the same building blocks as humus – the organic matter reserves found in soil. Virginia Corless, Chief Growth Officer at Novihum Technologies, explains how reacting lignite with nitrogen has created a new soil amendment to improve nutrient retention, water storage, and the vitality of the microbiome.

While the greatest benefits were expected in sandy soils, it turns out that a small percentage of clay like what would be found in a sandy loam, creates a beneficial interaction. One long-term trial of Novihum found that after 17 years, 90 percent of the original application was still in the soil.

References:

• 53: Producing Compost and Carbon Sequestration (Podcast)
• 72: Soil Microbes and Nutrient Availability (Podcast)
• Could Agriculture Bloom in the Desert? Qatar Works to Invent an Innovative Oasis (Video)
• Novihum.com
• Novihum Academic and Field Trials
• Sahara Forest Project Grows Food, And Biofuel
• SIP Certified
• Technical University of Dresden
• Virginial Corless | [email protected]

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