Plant husbandry – Miscellaneous – Modified earth's surface – e.g. – sod – turf – reinforced
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-18
2001-11-06
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Miscellaneous
Modified earth's surface, e.g., sod, turf, reinforced
C071S006000, C071S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311426
ABSTRACT:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to biochemical fertilizer and soil conditioner compositions, processes for their manufacture, and methods for their use.
2. Background of the Invention
The use of calcined diatomaceous earth to add porosity to soil is known. Calcined diatomaceous earth is sold by AGRO-TECH 2000, a division of ORGANICA, Inc. of Norristown, Pa. under the trademark AXIS™. This product produces an oxygenating effect in the soil due to its unique internal porosity.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Other than in the operating examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term “about”.
A composition has now been discovered that improves the structure and composition of soil by adding permanent porosity thereto, by increasing water availability, by increasing soil heat capacity and helping to buffer soil temperature, by increasing soil permeability, by reducing soil bulk density, by oxygenating the soil to provide more and deeper plant roots, by providing beneficial microorganisms to the soil, and by providing nitrogen-containing compounds which arc slowly released to the soil, thus preventing or minimizing leaching of the compounds which would make them unavailable to plants and result in pollution of water systems into which the leached compounds might flow.
It is to be understood that use of the term “plant” as used in the specification and in the claims is meant to include both crop producing and non-crop producing grasses, plants, bushes, and trees.
The compositions of the invention comprise:
A) a calcined diatomaceous earth;
B) an effective quantity of beneficial microorganisms that a) enhance plant growth and, where applicable, crop production, and/or b) control various types of pathogens in the soil, optionally in combination with nutrients selected to maintain the viability of the microorganisms and/or increase their population;
C) at least one nitrogen-containing compound compatible with soil and plants, and which can be utilized by the plants either directly or in the form of products obtained by the action of soil microbes thereon.
The calcined diatomaceous earth used as component A) is diatomaceous earth heated to high temperatures, e.g. from 1500° to 2100° F., preferably from 1700° to to 1900° F., and more preferably about 1800° F. The preferred product for use as component A) is AXIS™ in the form of AXIS™ Regular, AXIS™ Fine, or a mixture of the foregoing in any proportion. Diatomaceous earth calcined at lower temperatures does not possess the unique internal porosity of the present calcined diatomaceous earth.
Component B) can be any beneficial microbial organism or combination of organisms known to enhance the quality of soil for the growth of plants. Such micro-organisms include those from the genera Bacillus, Clostridium, such as
Clostridium pasteurianum
, Rhodopseudomonas, such as
Rhodopseudomonas capsula
, and Rhizobium that fix atmospheric nitrogen; phosphorous stabilizing Bacillus organisms such as
Bacillus megaterium
; cytokinin producing microorganisms such as
Azotobacter vinelandii
; and microorganisms from the genera Pseudomonas, such as
Pseudomonas fluorescens
, Athrobacter, such as
Anthrobacter globii
, Flavobacterium such as Flavobacteriium sp.,
Saccharomyces
, such as
Saccharomyces
cerevisiae, and the like.
Microorganisms useful in the practice of the invention can be selected from one or more of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that have utility in soil enhancement. Viruses such as the NPV viruses (nuclear polyhedrosis virus) such as the cabbage looper nuclear poly-hedrosis virus are examples of useful viruses.
Microorganisms, (bacteria, fungi and viruses) that control various types of pathogens in the soil include microorganisms that control soil-born fungal pathogens, such as Trichoderma sp.,
Bacillus subtilis
, Penicillium sp.; microorganisms that control insects, such as Bacillus sp. e.g.
Bacillus popalliae
; microorganisms that act as herbicides, e.g. Altemaria sp., and the like.
All of the above microorganisms are well known and are readily available from public depositories including American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and Agricultural Research Service Culture Collection (NRRL).
A significant advantage for the compositions of the invention is that the micro-organisms can be specifically selected for enhancing the growth of particular plants or crops to be grown in the soil and/or to control pathogens which have been found to be present in the soil, i.e. the microorganisms can be readily tailored to the requirements of the soil and the plants or crops to be grown in it.
Component C), i.e. the at least one nitrogen-containing compound, can be present in the form of an ammonium salt or an amine-or substituted amine-containing compound such as anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia, ammonium salts such as ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium sulfate nitrate, urea ammonium polyphosphates, urea, ureaformaldehyde reaction product, and the like. It is to be understood, however, that component C) does not include urine or other animal excreta, e.g. manure, treated or untreated sewage, and the like, animal or fish body fertilizer products, e.g. blood meal, fish emulsions, and the like, or plant based fertilizer products, e.g. humus, compost, and the like. Component C) is at least one discrete compound such as those exemplified above, so that desired quantities of nitrogen can be readily determined and obtained.
Hence, another significant advantage for the compositions of the invention is that the quantity of the at least one-nitrogen containing compound can be specifically selected for the requirements of the plants or crops to be grown in the soil to be treated, taking into consideration the quantities of nitrogen-containing compounds already present in the soil.
It has further been discovered that the component A) calcined diatomaceous earth binds the amine, substituted amine, and ammonium ion groups in the above compounds, providing for slow release of the nitrogen-containing compounds from the compositions of the invention when the compositions are added to the soil.
Optional components that can also be present in the compositions of the invention include natural enzymes, growth hormones such as the gibberellins (gibberellic acid and gibberellin plant growth hormones), and micronutrient elements such as boron, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, and molybdenum.
Other optional components include other water-soluble nitrogen-containing compounds such as sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate; water-soluble phosphorus-containing compounds, such as CaHPO
4
, Ca(H
2
PO
4
)
2
, single superphosphate (made by reacting ground phosphate rock with 70% sulfuric acid), ammonium phosphate, nitrophosphates, monoorthophosphates such as liquid ammonium polyphosphate, and the like;water-soluble potassium-containing compounds such as commercial potash, potassium chloride, camallite (KCl.M
g
Cl
2
6H
2
O), potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, and the like; other nutrients such as water-soluble calcium, magnesium, and sulfur compounds; and control agents including pesticides such as acaracides and molluskicides, insecticides, fungicides, nematocides, and the like, depending of course on their compatibility with the component B) microorganisms. Compounds useful as control agents may have one activity only, but frequently are effective in more that one of the above categories. Examples of control agents that can be used in the compositions of the invention, depending on component B) compatibility, include inorganic compounds such as elementary sulfur and inorganic sulfur compounds, e.g. calcium polysulfide and sodium thiosulfate, which are effective fungicides, copper, zinc, and other metal inorganics such as copper carbonate, copper oxychloride, copper sulfate, and copper zinc sulfate. Organometallic compounds such as iron and tin compounds, e.g. tripheny
Mehta Ashok J
Mehta Raj J
Talati Sunil
Gellner Jeffrey L.
Millson, Jr. Henry E.
Organica, INC
Poon Peter M.
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