Mineral Magic conducts biogenic amorphous silica trials

That is the story of Mineral Magic's biogenic amorphous silica (BAS) that is mined from a deposit two and a half hours north of Carvarvon and has a high content of plant available silica (PAS) which ameliorates and conditions soils, giving plants an improved foundation, as well as resistance to a wide range of stresses.

Founder Nick Clayton said it was an incredibly rare type of amorphous silica (radiolarite) and not the common form which is most generally diatomaceous earth.

"The advantage is radiolarite can be used in its pure form as when crushed it forms various sized chips that can be screened to a number of diameters, whereas other forms of AS (amorphous silica) when crushed turn to dust and need to be granulated," Mr Clayton said.

"Granulation to date for AS has not been successful for use in broadacre seeders due to dust issues interfering with machinery and the AS has to be diluted too heavily to form a granule which makes the application not feasible with most seeder box sizing and availability."

It has been used for gardens, lawns and hydroponics for a few years with impressive results, but now Mineral Magic has started to expand into the broadacre sector which has only been possible due to its radiolarite qualities.

At an onfarm trial north of Tammin, three to four hectares was treated with the BAS and while it was undoubtedly a good year, with barley averaging four tonnes per hectare across the farm, the crops grown on the treated soil went 12.6 per cent above that.

Mr Clayton said BAS would provide even better results in a dry year when moisture was hard to come by, given its water storage capabilities.

"We think of it as an insurance policy," Mr Clayton said.

"On this particular farm, they paid their insurance premium for 12 months, they got that premium back and they got a bonus cheque.

"That was in a good year when nothing went wrong, but if something does go wrong from a weather point of view, the difference between the yields on treated and untreated soil is even greater."

BAS works by increasing plant root growth and specific surface area mass of soil structure for increased water and nutrient uptake and retention.

It also increases microbial activity, soil organic matter and carbon production.

As a result, the leaching of valuable nutrients and thus the need for fertiliser applications is reduced.

"Mineral Magic is a safe haven for bacteria, fungi and microbes which help to break down the elements which at the moment are unavailable to farmers as the plants can't access them," Mr Clayton said.

"Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) are always going to be necessary, but at the moment it's been applied at such excessive rates and because the soil isn't right, the plant can't access it properly.

"This is only a small part of the whole equation but it helps to get the biology happening in the soil and that then helps make other nutrients available to the plant, ultimately meaning less NPK would be required."

In a small plot trial run by Crommelin AgriCoatings director Hein de Villiers, five different soil types, ranging from stoney gravel to clay and sand, were collected from around the Wheatbelt.

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The trial was sown exactly as they would be onfarm with the same variety, same day of planting and at the same depth.

Initially the trial was set up in rows, but sometimes particular rows were more affected by wind or rain than others, so the plots were randomised to ensure it was as fair as possible.

"Whatever we do here, we have to be able to achieve in the field and on the farm," Mr Clayton said.

"The differences between the plots are obvious to the eye, you can see the difference between those which have been treated with the BAS and those which haven't."

PAS also releases monosilicic acid which hardens and strengthens the cells of living organisms.

That helps to increase the plant's natural defence responses to pests and diseases via a combination of physical measures - increased plant cell wall thickness - and biochemical measures - increased antioxidant and enzyme activities.

It also makes the plant less susceptible to extreme conditions such as drought, heat and frost.

"Mineral Magic helps to create a resistance to fungus and insects which means the need for less chemicals," Mr Clayton said.

"So it has ways of increasing yield, but it also helps to eliminate some of the factors which can decrease yield."

In an independent trial run by Kalyx, it was discovered the product worked best when applied with double banding - applying some with the seed and some with fertiliser.

Doing one or the other also works, but the combination achieved the best results.

"It's the old space shuttle theory - the first booster rocket gets it to a certain level," Mr Clayton said.

"The bit with the seeding gets the crop to the tillering stage and by the time that happens, it gets another shot next to the fertiliser."

The product showed results when applied at a rate of as little as 30 kilograms per hectare, however a slightly higher rate has been suggested.

For example the 12.6pc increase at Tammin was achieved at a rate of 70kg/ha and that can almost transpose across to dollars, so 70kg/ha would cost $70/ha.