Super Vigorous Species (SVS) - Safe or No?

[ednaknightlora]

Any comments about this product? It sounds a bit like the genetically modified microorganism story shared in the class. 

I came across a company who sells a soil inoculant for pasture grasses. They use SVS bacteria that have apparently been extracted from unique and niche environments (toxic cleanup sites?)  You can read about what they do here… 

 Thicker Pastures

The company does state they do not genetically engineer bacteria but they do use "forced natural selection". 

This is what they say about "other" products:

 

Other products might introduce soil microbes into the soil. However, their bacteria population is never known, nor is their specie types and none are defined as “super vigorous species”.

They say it is environmently safe - is it?

Thanks,

Edna 

 

[Ingham, Elaine]

You have no idea where they actually isolated these 18 bacteria and 3 fungal species. The likelihood that these few species would survive in your SOIL, in your climate, or your conditions is not great.

Now if you have dirt, different story. 18 bacterial species is better than none. But note they don't tell you about which species, and if EPA approved, you have to state the predominant bacterial species present. Three species of fungi..... must state what those are.

Soil needs upwards of 75,000 SPECIES per gram, so that no matter what conditions some set of species is active and functioning to protect plants surfaces, build soil structure, hold nutrients, etc.

How could 18 species ..... no matter how vigorously selected...... do everything that 75,000 species are needed to perform?

Where's the data to back up what they claim? Need some trials.

Suggest that you could do the trials for them if they pay you to do the work?


Elaine R. Ingham
Chief Scientist
Rodale Institute

-----Original Message-----
From: ednaknightlora [mailto:ednakni...@gmail.com]
Sent: Mon 11/26/2012 5:17 PM
To: lifein...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Super Vigorous Species (SVS) - Safe or No?

Any comments about this product? It sounds a bit like the genetically
modified microorganism story shared in the class.

I came across a company who sells a soil inoculant for pasture grasses.
They use SVS bacteria that have apparently been extracted from unique and
niche environments (toxic cleanup sites?) You can read about what they do

here.

Thicker Pastures <http://www.thickerpasture.com/#!about-us/c248p>

The company does state they do not genetically engineer bacteria but they
do use "forced natural selection".

This is what they say about "other" products:


Other products might introduce soil microbes into the soil. However, their
> bacteria population is never known, nor is their specie types and none are
> defined as "super vigorous species".


They say it is environmently safe - is it?

Thanks,

Edna

--

[Yolanda Gonzalez]

Insect Killing Soap

 

Hi Elaine,

 

How are you? I wanted to ask you a quick question about a product called "Safer" which is an instect killing soap that is OMRI certified.  I'm working part time on a farm on Long Island and our kale isn't doing so well, it's infested with aphids.  From everything that I've gotten from your Life in Soil workshop, I'm hesitating to use this product because of the 49% potassium salts present that I know will probably also negatively affect the beneficial microorganisms present in the soil.

 

Would love your opinion on soaps in general as an instect killer and maybe you could provide some insight into how we can prevent this problem in the future (I'm assuming using generous amounts of compost and compost tea).

 

Hope all is well,

Yolanda

--

[Ingham, Elaine]

Hi Yolanda!

Soaps work by decreasing surface tension. The potassium salt in the Safer soap is left behind as a residue on the leaf surfaces and aphids really don't like the salt they ingest when they pass their proboscis through that salt layer. It may even kill the aphid.

Will this also harm the biology on the plant surface? Yes.

But, the fact that the aphids are attracted to the plant says that the normal leaf microflora is NOT present. the plant is stressed, it doesn't have good nutrition. It is rather like nature is telling you that things are very wrong on the plant, and if things are wrong on the plant, then probably things are not right in the soil.

So, destroying things that aren't there, are already out-of-whack, doesn't worry me too much.

The thing to do is to fix the lack of good life in the soil through this winter. If you work hard to get healthy soil, then next year the plant will not be stressed, good biology will be maintained on the leaf, and voila, no aphids.

So,the fact the aphids are there says, "Very little good life to harm". Go ahead and use the Safers Soap. But only use it when you have a problem. Do not use it preventatively, use it when nature is telling you things are not right in order to save the crop.

But then, next year........