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Salem, OR

http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/bacteria.html

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Bacteria fall into four functional groups. Most are decomposers that consume simple carbon compounds, such as root exudates and fresh plant litter. By this process, bacteria convert energy in soil organic matter into forms useful to the rest of the organisms in the soil food web. A number of decomposers can break down pesticides and pollutants in soil. Decomposers are especially important in immobilizing, or retaining, nutrients in their cells, thus preventing the loss of nutrients, such as nitrogen, from the rooting zone . . .

. . . In a diverse bacterial community, many organisms will compete with disease-causing organisms in roots and on aboveground surfaces of plants . . .

Certain strains of the soil bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens have anti-fungal activity that inhibits some plant pathogens

. . . Protozoa are single-celled animals that feed primarily on bacteria, but also eat other protozoa, soluble organic matter, and sometimes fungi. They are several times larger than bacteria – ranging from 1/5000 to 1/50 of an inch (5 to 500 µm) in diameter. As they eat bacteria, protozoa release excess nitrogen that can then be used by plants and other members of the food web.

! A teaspoon of productive soil generally contains between 100 million and 1 billion bacteria.
A ton of microscopic bacteria may be active in each acre of soil!

4/10/2008 1:43:32 PM

Salem, OR

If typical soil already contains 1 ton of bacteria per acre, do we really need to add any additional bacteria or will compost tea alone do the trick?

4/10/2008 2:27:44 PM

Puyallup, WA

To what depth in this acre of soil are you measuring this one ton of bacteria?

4/11/2008 1:38:07 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

If you already have a biologically active soil (measured by C02 emissions) then adding more might be counter productive. Then again. CHOOSING the species is always good but then we are assuming they will stick around. Some will argue that if they weren't there before then they don't belong there. I subscribe to the theory that we are better off choosing our neighbor when we can.

4/11/2008 1:02:37 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Stan, I belive they are talking about one acre foot of soil.

4/17/2008 12:54:19 AM