Humic acid is also a great help in droughts

The recent increase in the frequency and severity of extreme and often damaging weather events may increasingly jeopardise the effectiveness of production. In some areas there are extreme drought conditions (as is unfortunately becoming more and more frequent and almost inevitable in the eastern regions of the Hungarian Great Plain), or heavy rainfall in a short period of time, possibly combined with hail. These adverse environmental stresses can be prepared for and mitigated to some extent. Such stress tolerance treatments are based on the use of soil conditioners based on humic and fulvic acid.

Humic acids protect plants in several ways during a drought:

• humic and fulvic acids are natural chelating agents, and as a kind of liquid humus, they are easily absorbed and digestible by plants,
• act as catalysts in plant cellular respiration processes, accelerating it. This allows more energy to be released in the cells, which has a positive effect on the plant's metabolism as a whole. The excellent nutrient supply and increased green mass improve the plant's vitality and its ability to tolerate drought and stress,
• protect plants from drying out with their excellent water retention.

It is believed that after overwintering, most plants adjust their yield levels mainly in response to the conditions prevailing during the warming period. It is therefore essential that during this period a continuous supply of nutrients is ensured and that the plant is not disturbed by stresses and nutrient supply disruptions from external conditions (e.g. drought).

By using the right humic acids, the above problems can be avoided and, during the period of crop potential development, they can help to ensure a balanced supply of nutrients and thus to counteract the negative effects of external conditions, thus allowing at least the normal but rather increased yield averages. 

Various stress effects (such as water shortages) can retard the development of the plant, making it more sensitive to certain plant protection treatments, and it can stop growing for a short period of days without any noticeable symptoms, which can ultimately lead to serious yield losses. At such times, it is important to strengthen our plants and increase their vitality, so that this period also requires as little sacrifice as possible.

A using preparations based on humic and fulvic acid, the natural chemical balance of cells can be restored, and the plant life processes can be harmonised and activated, so that such periods can be overcome within a short time.

Soil quality and drought

In terms of soil conditions, there is a high degree of salinisation, and thus a steady decline in groundwater levels. Even unevenly distributed rainfall cannot make up for the shortfall due to high evaporation, and sodium accumulates in the upper layers of the soil, leading to physical and chemical degradation. Frequent and continuous fertilizer use leads to soil acidification, which creates conditions unfavourable for the uptake of nutrients by plants. In order for plants to use the micro- and macro-nutrients present in the soil, we need to ensure a humus-rich soil condition with a suitable pH.

Humic substances, as organic soil constituents, play an important role in, among other things, nutrient uptake and continuous nitrogen supply, so their uptake can compensate for most of the soil-destroying effects of drought. Their water-holding capacity prevents evaporation and their high pH reduces salinisation.

As the humus layer in the soil is constantly being depleted, it should be replaced by organic fertilisation and/or the application of organic matter, such as suitable water-soluble humic acid soil conditioners. As the availability of organic fertilisers is decreasing due to the decline in livestock numbers, the role of humic soil conditioners is increasing.

How soil holds water

In practice, drought is rarely only about how much rain falls. The same rainfall is used quite differently on soil rich in humus and on soil with degraded structure: one holds the water and releases it gradually, on the other a significant part runs off or evaporates before it reaches the root zone.

Organic matter and soil structure both play a part in how soil manages water. Humic substances are colloidal in nature: they have a large specific surface area and arrange soil particles into a crumb structure. It is this structure that retains water in the pores while keeping the soil permeable to air and roots. On compacted, structureless soil both deteriorate at once: less water remains, and the root reaches what remains with more difficulty.

This is why it is worth treating water shortage not as a separate problem but as part of the condition of the soil. You can read more about the effects of humic acids on soil and the practical questions of application in our article The beneficial effects of Humic Acid on plants .

Natural humic acid: where it comes from

Humic acid is not a compound assembled in a laboratory but a product of natural humus formation. It is created by the transformation of plant matter over a long geological period under oxygen-poor conditions. One source of natural humic acid is sedimentary rock humified in this way, such as lignite.

The rock on its own, however, is of no use in the soil, because the humic acids bound in it do not dissolve in water. The preparation is made by extraction, and only then do the humic and fulvic acids pass into water-soluble form: in this state they can be applied, and this is how they reach the root zone. Natural origin therefore refers to the raw material, while water solubility is the result of processing. The two matter together, because rain or irrigation water carries only part of an insufficiently water-soluble humic preparation close to the roots.

This difference matters when comparing with fertilisers too, because the two substances work in the soil according to a different logic. We have a separate article on this: How can humic acid replace nitrogen fertiliser?

If you feel that your farm is also exposed to extreme weather conditions, protect your crops from stress and ensure the sustainable quality of your soil by using humic acid soil conditioner.

A Huminexpert kiváló, tökéletesen vízoldható, huminsavban gazdag termékeit megtalálja az alábbiakban, nagyobb területre a 20-litre soil conditioner a kiszerelés:

"Huminexpert - reviving the original power of the earth"