----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Barrow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 6:00 AM
Subject: Bio-fumigation
> Hi BDNow!ers,
>
> Has anybody got any experience with using bio-fumigation of soils -
> basically using brassicas to fumigate the soil for other crops? It is
> supposed to be a common practise in Australia.
>
> Stephen Barrow
Hi Stephen
Yes canola or oilseed rape (thats what it does to your
soil) in the rotation is common in Aus and has proven very successful short
term for conventional farmers BUT the whole agronomic system is driven by
the need to increase chemical and fertiliser sales to farmers and canola has
been pivotal to that effort. We see rapidly escalating rates of urea and
anhydrous ammonia and a switch back to newer, more expensive, patented
chemicals. Believe me if you were anything other than a crop plant on one of
these farms you better hide!
Much better wheat crops the year following canola due to
the disease break and leftover nitrate nitrogen (its a very inefficient user
of applied fertiliser) However nobody has yet published the literature that
shows what a voracious feeder of trace minerals this crop is and also very
hard on sulphur. Its a hungry crop - we grew it for ten years and quit - two
years ago when the GMO thing started to get going in this country - Monsanto
and Aventis will see to it that any farmer that continues to grow canola
will end up GMO contaminated despite his best efforts to the contrary.
There would maybe be a good case for using the older
style fodder rape as a green manure - that way at least the minerals are not
exported - but why not forget it and use legumes. My advice to anyone that
is not already growing canola or mustard for grain would be do yourself a
favour and don't start!!
OK so I'm biased
Cheers
Lloyd Charles
>
>
