On Tue, 14 Mar 2000 07:32:19 -0600, mmiller@pcsia.com wrote:
>Does anyone know if there is a more complete explanation of this available?
> Is it the mirconurtrients in the seaweed or some chemical produced by the
>seaweed? Mike Miller
Certainly direct feeding kelp meal provides some extra minerals,
especially when the soil system producing the forage tends to be
depleted in minerals, as is usually the case with Ultisols in the US
South. In the last half century we have discovered a *dozen*
micronutrients to be essential in animal nutrition --- molybdenum,
selenium, and chromium in the 1950s; nickel in the 1960s'; fluorine,
tin, vanadium, silicon, arsenic, cadmium, and lead in the 1970s, and
boron in the 1990s. Do you think there might be a few more we don't
know about ? Scandium and rubidium are two possibilities...
As for the liquid seaweed, while it could be the micronutrients
themselves, the amounts involved (typically 2 pts/ac, or 2 L/ha) really
don't bring that many nutrients into the system. In that case, the
addition of exogenous plant growth regulators from the kelp may well
affect the nutrient uptake efficiency of the forage. Remember, too,
that the quantities needed by the critter are pretty small. I would
furthermore add here that bringing *soluble* calcium into the system
(kiln dust, etc, if it's clean) will also help with overall mineral
uptake.
In this study most (if not all) the liquid seaweed used was the
Stimplex brand from Acadian Sea Plants in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia ---
902-468-2840. I don't know whether or not the kelp meal was also an
Acadian product. Stimplex is registered for use in a number of US
states, though you would have to check with the company to determine
which ones.
Bart
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