Overuse of chemicals and lack of organic material can lead to dead, lifeless soil. Understanding the soil food web can help. As organisms decompose complex materials, or consume other organisms, nutrients are converted from one form to another, and are made available to plants and to other soil organisms. All plants – grass, trees, shrubs, agricultural crops – depend on the food web for their nutrition. Probiotics Bio Soil is a microbial additive teaming with beneficial microbes that can play a role in decomposing the organic matter in your soil thereby increasing yield and fruit quality
Probiotics for soil improvement
OzProbiotics’ Bio Soil has many applications, particularly in high value crops. Uses as a soil inoculant and a foliage spray, or in hydroponics, the results can be spectacular. Improved yields, improved water retention and improved nitrogen fixation are just three of the many benefits of Bio Soil in agriculture.
Probiotics in composting
Depending on how wet your compost is, either Bio Soil or Bio Klean could have a significant impact on both the rate of compost, the nitrogen levels in the finished product, and the odours created during the process. Improving the throughput of compost operations can improve their profitability.
Probiotics in water and effluent treatment
Dams and water storage can easily get out of balance and the resulting algal bloom, sludge or slime build-up can impact the potability of the water held. Bio Klean is a non-toxic and extremely effective solution to all things biological in water storage or treatment.
Probiotics in pasture treatment
Dramatic improvements in the pastures of animals fed probiotics are just one of the many holistic benefits of direct fed (or applied) microbials.
ADVANCING AQUACULTURE WITH PROBIOTICS
Aquaculture- the rearing and harvesting of animals and plants in all types of water environments has grown in the last few decades. This is due to multiple factors; the increase in human population and its demand of animal proteins, an international dietary move toward more lean proteins, and overfishing of wildlife for human consumption.
World per capita fish consumption increases at an average annual rate of 3.2%, double the world population growth of 1.6% annually.
Despite the rapid world growth, the primary consumers of fish and aquatic wildlife are those in developing countries, primarily tied to what is locally and seasonally available. This localism of fish consumption highlights the importance of keeping certain populations of aquaculture as healthy and productive as possible.
Maximising feed conversion
One way fisheries and aquaculture are maximizing their feed conversion ratio, and maintaining healthy populations is through the introduction of probiotics into fish feed.
The interest in using probiotics as an agricultural additive to support the beneficial bacteria in the guts of livestock has grown over the years. Probiotics is a way to raise healthy animals while reducing a reliance on antibiotics.
Using probiotics in aquaculture proves to be just as beneficial. However, their use is a bit more complicated. As aquatic creatures, the line between the microbiome inside the fish’s body and the microbiome of the underwater environment is very thin. The probiotics chosen must be willing to work with and support both of these microbiomes with equal effectiveness.
Studies show that the water a fish lives in is the primary source of that fish’s natural probiotics. The microorganisms cultivate in the environment and enter the host animal through feeding. By supporting the host and the host’s immune system with probiotic additives in the food, growers support the health of the environment’s microbiome.
Recent studies
A study out of Prince of Songkla University, Thailand found giving specific probiotics strains of bacteria (E. faecium) improved the intestinal ecology of Nile tilapia. These bacteria also grow best in the temperature best for the fish, the biggest challenge to microbial growth underwater.
Research suggests, like with their landlocked brethren, fish given probiotics grow better than those without probiotics, they digest nutrients better, and inhibit growth of bad bacteria better.
The biggest challenges facing probiotics application into aquaculture include poor bacterial stability in water during production and storage, too low bacterial concentrations, and incorrect application methods. As research continues and the demands of our growing world press on aquaculture new probiotics products may be the key to modern, sustainable aquaculture practices.
A detailed case study was produced by SCD in 2017. Please leave your details here if you would like a copy of the study.