88: Making Better Soils with Novihum

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <h2>References:</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.vineyardteam.org/podcast/?id=756">53: Producing Compost and Carbon Sequestration</a> (Podcast)</li> <li><a href="https://www.vineyardteam.org/podcast/?id=794">72: Soil Microbes and Nutrient Availability</a> (Podcast)</li> <li><a href= "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/could-agriculture-bloom-in-the-desert"> Could Agriculture Bloom in the Desert? Qatar Works to Invent an Innovative Oasis</a> (Video)</li> <li><a href="https://novihum.com/">Novihum.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://novihum.com/field-tests/">Novihum Academic and Field Trials</a></li> <li><a href= "https://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/19/sahara-forest-project-grows-food-biofuel/"> Sahara Forest Project Grows Food, And Biofuel</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.sipcertified.org/get-certified/self-assessment/">SIP Certified</a></li> <li><a href="https://tu-dresden.de/">Technical University of Dresden</a></li> <li>Virginial Corless | <a href= "mailto:v.corless@novihum.com?subject=Sustainable%20Winegrowing%20Podcast%20Interview%20"> v.corless@novihum.com</a></li> </ul> <h2>Get More</h2> <p>Subscribe on <a href= "