EnSoil Algae for Row Crops
Save Money * Significant Reduction in Chemical Inputs * Improved Yield * Improved Soil Biology
Improved Water Infiltration & Retention * Improved Plant Stress Adaptation
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Hear What Customers are Saying About
EnSoil Algae for Row Crops
Early season corn. Left side: no EnSoil. Right side: Treated with EnSoil.
Mid season corn: not treated with EnSoil.
Mid season corn: treated with EnSoil.
JRH Grain Farm
Russell Hedrick- Hickory, NC
Russell is co-owner of Soil Regen and a leading voice in the regenerative farming movement. He is raising non-GMO corn and non-GMO soybean. Russell is one-year-in with his EnSoil application studies.
Feedback Corn: “Corn plants have shown exceptional growth and plant health. During the growing season, plants sprayed showed a noticeable color change to a darker green. Plant growth was accelerated by 2-3 leaves within the first 2 weeks. Ear weight has been 1-3 ounces heavier in density. Yields and test weight will be determined this fall and are expected to be greater in the treated areas."
Feedback Soybeans: "Since spraying, soybeans have shown more retained pods per plant on 3’ row measurements ranging 5-8%. Disease pressure has been minimal this season until the middle of August with heavier rain falls. Plants sprayed with algae haven’t had noticeable frog eye leaf spot or rust like their untreated counterparts. Soybean yields are hard to determine until harvest, but based upon pod retention, we expect an increase in yield. Plant health and growth have been dramatically evident this season, and expectations are high for harvest. We treated 5 fields with EnSoil Algae to measure vs a control. In every field EnSoil had a meaningful impact on yield. In addition, there was a significant dry down effect and great standability.”
Outcomes:
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EnSoil Algae showed the effect of optimizing plant nutrient uptake, energy value, and improved plant health everywhere it was applied.
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Improved stress adaption.
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Significantly quicker dry down where EnSoil Algae was applied. The farm average was a difference of 2.1% in moisture content.
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EnSoil Algae delivered a yield bump of 6-8 bushels when added to a late season fungicide pass compared to fields that received the fungicide without EnSoil Algae.
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Overall 90% rate of profitability based on yield. Total cost per acre of EnSoil was calculated at $60. Farm average was 12.5 bpa gain.
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Largest gain was a 17 bpa in a field where EnSoil was applied in furrow at planting and twice more over the top in season.
GCG Farms
Darren Bryant- Moultrie, GA
Darren’s farming operation consists of 1100 acres of cotton, 360 acres of peanuts, and 200 acres of cattle pastureland. He has applied EnSoil Alage three times to both the cotton and the peanuts.
Outcomes Cotton: Soil fertility tests, DNA soil samples, total soil digestion samples, and tissue analysis on the treated and untreated plots and the treated fields show two crops are using all the nutrients available to them with very high bio-controls, hormone production, and stress adaptions.
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The EnSoil Algae treated fields yielded an additional 200 pounds per acre of high quality cotton (conservatively).
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10 acre field of dryland cotton. The Cotton had three applications of EnSoil algae.
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This field had some very weak spots and had been noted to be a disaster in recent years for crop production.
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EnSoil Algae applications were started 20 days after emergence, just be before squaring. The first application of algae was tank-mixed with an herbicide. Easy process.
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We noticed where we treated the cotton with the algae herbicide mix we had a better degree of weed control as to where we applied no algae with the herbicide.
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Subsequent EnSoil Algae applications were applied 15 to 20 days apart (weather).
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Crop scout reported this field was developing/loading up with fruit with close node settings on the limbs.
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During our dry weeks this cotton crop seemed to hold up better under the drought conditions and shed very little fruit.
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After defoliation the EnSoil Algae treated crop was loaded from top to bottom. There was very little hard locks with short internodes between bolls on the limbs. It appeared that every boll opened on the stalk in a reasonable time showing a quicker maturity. Even in the weak spots we had strong yield potential and in the strong parts of the field we even had stronger yield potential. The color of the crop was outstanding; however we have no grades at this point. We anticipate them to be good.
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Another interesting observation was the treated cotton had a bottom crop. Where the untreated cotton had no bottom crop and a lot of hard locks. The plants showed less stress.
No EnSoil
Treated with EnSoil
Treated with EnSoil
Feedback Cotton: A crop scout checks fields weekly. The scout reported recommending replications of EnSoil treatment to other non-treated fields.
The cotton plants treated with EnSoil were fruiting heavier and were setting bolls at shorter node intervals on the limbs. The cotton plants also looked healthier with a darker green appearance and appeared to be holding the extra fruit it had set instead of shedding it. They showed better canopy development along with flowering and boll set.
Darren is hoping this leads to improvement in the maturation of the plant. He feels if he can tighten the stages of development, then he can better manage his crop for higher yields and better grades resulting in a better ROI. Darren is also pleased with the ease of application of the EnSoil. He can mix it with just about anything he wants to put out whether it be an insecticide, herbicide, or fungicide.
"EnSoil Algae was applied to circles of corn and alfalfa as well as the vegetable garden. Western Nebraska faced extreme drought this year, but I was able to produce a decent crop where EnSoil Algae was applied. The corn had excellent pollination and energy value, especially compared with neighbors. We have quality silage. We were able to get four quality cuts from our alfalfa this year and the ground is still green on alkaline spots that are normally brown at this point EnSoil Algae and water were our only inputs on the Alfalfa circle."
Windmill Angus Ranch
Alex Peterson- Haigler, NE
Alex breeds angus bulls and raises beef cattle. He farms over 2000 acres. He has applied EnSoil Algae to his sorghum, alfalfa, corn, oats, and clover crops in Southwest Nebraska.
Outcomes: Initial application of C. vulgaris on 160 acres of cane sorghum at Windmill Angus Farms in Haigler, NE, occurred in August 2021 and provided independent feed sample reports showing an approximate 50% increase in protein and 25% increase in tonnage per acre over control acreage. Multiple soil samples from clover at McDonald Apiary in Hay Springs, NE, showed improvement in soil health after application of EnSoil. While the increase in biomass is significant, the corresponding increase in root structure has the potential to better retain moisture, mitigate erosion, and be a useful tool in water management along the Republican River and elsewhere. Haney soil tests showed that soil organic matter increased by 1.3%.
Feedback: "We are very encouraged by the results we've seen from application of EnSoil Algae. We’ve seen positive plant color and growth response. Our soil health numbers show improvement. Our yields have been higher where EnSoil was applied, and the nutrient gains are also significant. We believe it can help us grow a quality, nutrient dense crop and offset the cost of nitrogen inputs. We are most excited about working to improve our soil biology and water holding capacity through use of EnSoil. EnSoil Algae was applied to circles of corn and alfalfa as well as the vegetable garden. Western Nebraska faced extreme drought this year, but I was able to produce a decent crop where EnSoil Algae was applied.
The corn had excellent pollination and energy value, especially compared with neighbors. We have quality silage. We were able to get four quality cuts from our alfalfa this year and the ground is still green on alkaline spots that are normally brown at this point EnSoil Algae and water were our only inputs on the Alfalfa circle. Last year in a comparison trial on sorghum we got a 25% bump in yield and 40% bump in protein values on sorghum where EnSoil Algae was added to our normal fertilizer application.”
EnSoil Algae for Row Crops
The science behind EnSoil is not new. There are more than 40 years of research on the effectiveness of Chlorella as a soil amendment; it has been used in countries throughout the world. Enlightened Soil Corp has now made EnSoil commercially available in the U.S., providing an NPK alternative that can do the following: 1) increase soil health, 2) promote plant growth, 3) intensify green color, and 4) improve drought resistance. It also, 5) is safe for waterways, 6) involves no tonnage, and 7) costs only $20 per acre to treat.
Here are some of the ways EnSoil can benefit your farm:
Soil Health
It is well known that the microbial makeup in your digestive system, the biome, has a direct effect on health, and that dietary habits and supplements can affect your biome. The well-being and growth of plants depend on an similar process. Like humans, plants live in a symbiotic (cooperative) arrangement with microbes. The soil around the roots, known as the rhizosphere, is essentially the plant’s biome. The rich mixture of microorganisms living there performs a number of tasks critical to plant growth and health.
Soil bacteria “fix nitrogen”; that is, they convert atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that are absorbed by plant roots and used for photosynthesis and the production of organic compounds like amino acids and proteins. That’s right—plants themselves don’t fix nitrogen. It is a function of soil bacteria. For example, we plant legumes, like peanuts or chickpeas, to enrich soil, to raise the level of nitrogen. However, it is bacteria in the root nodules of legumes that actually process atmospheric nitrogen.
The major benefit to improving soil health for farming is building up drought resistance and decreasing weed infestations. Healthy land management with focus on soil health will improve your soil structure and your water-holding capacity of the land. Increasing your SOM increases the water available for plants to grow and thrive as well.
Enhanced Chlorophyll
Photosynthesis is the foundation of life as we know it. Plants and algae are able to convert the sun’s energy into carbohydrates. We are beginning to understand the role of microalgae in the process.
When EnSoil Algae is applied to plants and soil, it signals to microbes in the biome, stimulating activity. This is measurable through Haney Testing. The resulting increase in microbial activity results in improved nitrogen fixation and nutrient solubilization, providing more nutrients to plants.
Plants benefit from foliar application of EnSoil Algae. It enhances chlorophyll directly, helping plants capture the sun’s energy more efficiently. Plants treated with EnSoil Algae respond positively. Farmers, ranchers, gardeners, and lawn care specialists all report deeper green colors and improved growth from use of EnSoil Algae. This is photosynthesis at work.
Plants experiencing enhanced photosynthesis put more carbon in the soil to feed the microbial community. Which leads to greater nutrient uptake for the plant!
Drought Tolerance
& Water Retention
EnSoil Algae can help reverse the catastrophic consequences of soil compaction and water runoff from decades of chemical fertilization. Fertilizers have destroyed soil biology and consequently soil structure. The outcome is a devasting reduction in water infiltration and soil's water holding capacity.
However, just a 1% gain in soil organic matter (SOM) can represent as much 20,000 gallons of additional water holding capacity per acre. Application of EnSoil Algae--especially when paired with regenerative farming practices like no till and cover cropping--can dramatically improve SOM, improving soil structure. The better the soil structure, the better water holding capacity in the soil, and the easier for plants to utilize the water. As an added bonus, because EnSoil Algae is used in micro-amounts and is particulate, it does not go into solution. It stays lodged in the soil and does not runoff causing watershed pollution.
As drought conditions lead to more strict water usage regulation, it is critical that our soils capture and hold as much rain and irrigation as possible. There is a direct return on investment in soil structure improvement!
Stress Adaptation
EnSoil Algae applications have proven beneficial in tuning plant responses to several types of abiotic stress. Abiotic stress is usually oxidative stress, and plants have natural defenses when exposed to stressors such as drought or salt. They produce antioxidant enzymes that detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS). Treatment with EnSoil Algae boosts plants' natural antioxidant production, and thus mitigates the effects of drought or salt. A practical corollary is that algae treated plants require less irrigation!
Unlike NPK inputs, EnSoil Algae (C. vulgaris) do not go into solution. They are living cells, a suspension of particles in water. After sitting for a few hours, the cells fall to the bottom of the bottle and only disperse uniformly with mild agitation. Because they are particulate, they do not penetrate far into the soil. In addition, migration through soil is hindered by algae’s positive charge. Soil is negatively charged, so the algae lodge in place. Finally the number of algae cells applied is relatively small. Fifty-thousand cells per square foot is a "micro-amount."
Watershed Safety
