New Agricultural Research

 

Recent soybean research by Dr. Rafiq Islam, Ohio State University shows benefits from using sulfur fertilization and small doses of aspirin or salicylic acid (SA, a fulvic acid) to increase soybean yields. Soybeans are planted on about 86.5 million USA acres. Yearly increases in soybean yields have been flat and with lower prices, farmers are looking for ways to get higher yields. Hot weather, drought, flooding and other environmental issues have caused soybean yields to stagnate.

Dr. Islam used research funds from the Ohio Soybean Council to investigate salicylic acid (SA). SA helps crops tolerate drought and stress by more efficiently regulating stomatal closure (water loss from leaves), transpiration, and proline biosynthesis (an amino acid which helps proteins to form). By enhancing stress tolerance, SA could help improve soybean yields and quality under challenging conditions.

Another growing concern for soybean cultivation is soil sulfur deficiency, due to reduced atmospheric sulfur deposition and limited sulfur in fertilizers. Sulfur is crucial for nitrogen fixation, amino acid synthesis, and protein formation—key factors for healthy soybean growth. A promising solution comes from flue gas desulfurized (FGD) gypsum, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. This material offers a cost-effective source of both sulfur and calcium, improving soil health and soybean productivity, particularly in drought-prone areas like Ohio.

A recent study has explored the combined effects of sulfur fertilization from FGD gypsum and foliar application SA on soybean production. Sulfur fertilization alone significantly increased soybean yields by up to 53%, while the foliar application of SA boosted yields by 8% to 46%. Additionally, sulfur fertilization enhanced key amino acids like taurine by 20%, while SA application increased concentrations of essential amino acids like tryptophan (5%), valine (2%), and taurine (17%).

The study also examined the impact of sulfur and SA on soybean fatty acid composition. In dry conditions, sulfur and SA applications increased the total crude fat content by 2.5% and boosted vaccenic acid levels by 1.3%. Vaccenic acid has health benefits associated with increased T-Cells, reduced tumor growth in cancer, improved insulin sensitivity for diabetics, reduced inflammation, and possibly lower cholesterol. In contrast, wet soils favored palmitoleic acid (PA) accumulation by 4% with similar results but also improved heart and skin benefits. Oleic acid also saw a slight increase of 1% which promotes healthy hearts, lower blood sugar, and better brain function.

These findings suggest that optimizing sulfur fertilization (30 lbs. S/ac.) and SA application (0.02 M) could not only boost soybean yields but also improve the quality of the crop, particularly in drought-prone soils. (For .02 M, that is 20 grams SA in a liter of water or roughly .7 oz in a quart of water). The combination of these treatments offers a promising pathway to enhance soybean resilience to ensure crops thrive in stressful conditions. This study used sustainable agricultural practices that balance productivity and environmental health, making soybeans more resilient.

In a separate study on new forms of spray water, using ionic or structured water is starting to show huge benefits for farmers. Regular water has 2 atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Typically, water was known to exist in three forms: ice, liquid, and vapor. However, water in living organisms is often in a slightly different ionic form: 2H+ and O2-. The actual chemical structure is H3O2 as researched by Dr. Gerald Pollack from the University of Washington. Dr. Pollack considers ionized water to be the 4th phase of water. Ionized water has more energy due to its negative charge. Rainfall water has more energy and is a common form of ionized or structured water. Plants, animals, and even humans respond better to ionized water than regular tap water.

Ionized water can be formed several ways by putting regular water through a vortex or using magnets. Why use it? First, the surface tension is greatly reduced so it does not bead on a plant leaf and it is almost instantly absorbed. Regular water beads or forms large clusters of water which are hard to absorb while ionized water is much smaller and is absorbed easily by plant cells. This can lead to reduced need for certain herbicides.

Ionized water has a slightly higher pH (closer to 7.0) and reduces the formation of crusted minerals on pipes. Using ionized water in irrigation or even spray reduces the need for water by 20-30% because it is absorbed so efficiently. It helps all living organisms grow better and it reduces drought and salinity stress in crops. Finally, ionized water has more oxygen (good for fish), increases seed germination, and it improves root and shoot growth. You can buy a garden hose adapter for $598 to make ionized water.