&trends humic & fulvic acids: the black gold of · humic acids are indeed thought to be...

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PRODUCTS &TRENDS 22 NEW AG INTERNATIONAL components. Generally, humic substances are con- sidered as a series of rela- tively high-molecular- weight, brown to black coloured substances formed by secondary synthesis reac- tions. The term is used as a generic name to describe coloured material or its frac- tions obtained on the basis of solubility characteristics: the fraction called humic acids is not soluble in water under acidic conditions (pH < 2) but is soluble at higher pH values. They can be extracted from soil by vari- ous reagents. Humic acids are the major extractable component of soil humic substances. They are dark brown to black in colour; the fraction called fulvic acids is soluble in water under all pH conditions. They remain in solution after removal of humic acid by acidification. Fulvic acids are light yellow to yellow-brown in colour; finally the fraction called humins is not soluble in water at any pH value and in alkali. Humins are black in colour. Many experts now believe that all dark coloured humic substances are part of a system of close- ly related, but not complete- ly identical, high-molecular- weight polymers. According to this concept, differences between humic T he understanding of humic substances and the way they work are both substantially more sophisticated than the basic knowledge on fertiliz- ers. It is thus all the more important to learn the basics – maybe a bit more - of the agronomics of humic substances before putting your fingers in this busi- ness! Laure Metzger, Senior Research Officer, RITTMO, France, has contributed the agronomic part of this feature. WHAT ARE HUMIC ACIDS? Soil Organic Matter is fre- quently said to consist of humic substances and non- humic substances. Non-humic substances are all those materials that can be placed in one of the categories of discrete com- pounds such as sugars, amino acids, fats and so on. Humic substances are the other, unidentifiable Humic & Fulvic acids based specialities, mainly deriving from Leonardite, are increasingly popular in organic farming of course but also in conventional outdoors horticulture, greenhouse cropping and even in the broad acre sector. Now available from a bunch of suppliers in liquid, powder or granular form, they are applied as soil conditioners and plant growth stimulators. The market is likely to continue growing, provided a few problems are sorted out: stopping the exaggerated claims as to the miracle effectiveness of these products, setting up an international standard for their analysis and, last but not least, stopping product substitution! Using a slightly provocative wording, one can indeed unfortunately describe the market the same way soil organic matter is described: “made of humic substances and non-humic substances”. Leading Producers and Researchers from around the world all agree that they have to join forces to better face the challenge of changing a situation whose consequences –the seaweed industry has experienced them – could be highly detrimental to market expansion. Eliminating the black sheep from the market so that humic acids can be called again “the black gold of agriculture” has become a top priority among industry leaders. Distributors and Growers alike will certainly not complain! Courtesy of NAI Humic & Fulvic Acids: The Black Gold of

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Page 1: &TRENDS Humic & Fulvic Acids: The Black Gold of · Humic acids are indeed thought to be complex aro-matic macromolecules with amino acids, amino sugars, and peptides, aliphatic com-pounds

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components. Generally,humic substances are con-sidered as a series of rela-tively high-molecular-weight, brown to blackcoloured substances formedby secondary synthesis reac-tions. The term is used as ageneric name to describecoloured material or its frac-tions obtained on the basisof solubility characteristics:the fraction called humicacids is not soluble in waterunder acidic conditions (pH< 2) but is soluble at higherpH values. They can beextracted from soil by vari-ous reagents. Humic acidsare the major extractablecomponent of soil humicsubstances. They are darkbrown to black in colour; thefraction called fulvic acids issoluble in water under allpH conditions. They remainin solution after removal ofhumic acid by acidification.Fulvic acids are light yellowto yellow-brown in colour;finally the fraction calledhumins is not soluble inwater at any pH value andin alkali. Humins are blackin colour.

Many experts nowbelieve that all darkcoloured humic substancesare part of a system of close-ly related, but not complete-ly identical, high-molecular-weight polymers.According to this concept,differences between humic

The understanding ofhumic substancesand the way they

work are both substantiallymore sophisticated than thebasic knowledge on fertiliz-ers. It is thus all the moreimportant to learn thebasics – maybe a bit more -of the agronomics of humicsubstances before puttingyour fingers in this busi-ness!

Laure Metzger, Senior ResearchOfficer, RITTMO, France, has contributed the agronomic

part of this feature.

WHAT ARE HUMIC ACIDS?Soil Organic Matter is fre-quently said to consist ofhumic substances and non-humic substances.

Non-humic substancesare all those materials thatcan be placed in one of thecategories of discrete com-pounds such as sugars,amino acids, fats and so on.

Humic substances arethe other, unidentifiable

Humic & Fulvic acids based specialities, mainly deriving

from Leonardite, are increasingly popular in organic

farming of course but also in conventional outdoors

horticulture, greenhouse cropping and even in the broad

acre sector. Now available from a bunch of suppliers in

liquid, powder or granular form, they are applied as soil

conditioners and plant growth stimulators. The market

is likely to continue growing, provided a few problems

are sorted out: stopping the exaggerated claims as to the

miracle effectiveness of these products, setting up an

international standard for their analysis and, last but not

least, stopping product substitution! Using a slightly

provocative wording, one can indeed unfortunately

describe the market the same way soil organic matter is

described: “made of humic substances and non-humic

substances”. Leading Producers and Researchers from

around the world all agree that they have to join forces

to better face the challenge of changing a situation

whose consequences –the seaweed industry has

experienced them – could be highly detrimental to

market expansion. Eliminating the black sheep from

the market so that humic acids can be called again

“the black gold of agriculture” has become a top priority

among industry leaders. Distributors and Growers

alike will certainly not complain!

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rtes

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Humic & Fulvic Acids:The Black Gold of

Page 2: &TRENDS Humic & Fulvic Acids: The Black Gold of · Humic acids are indeed thought to be complex aro-matic macromolecules with amino acids, amino sugars, and peptides, aliphatic com-pounds

Humic acids are indeedthought to be complex aro-matic macromolecules withamino acids, amino sugars,and peptides, aliphatic com-pounds involved in linkagesbetween the aromaticgroups. The hypotheticalstructure for humic acidcontains free and boundphenolic OH groups,quinone structures, nitrogenand oxygen as bridge unitsand COOH groups various-ly placed on aromatic rings.

The average contents of

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Agriculture?

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OH) and the extent of poly-merisation.

The postulated relation-ships are depicted in figure1, in which it can be seenthat carbon and oxygen con-tents, acidity and degree ofpolymerisation all changesystematically with increas-ing molecular weight.

It is apparent that humicsubstances consist of a het-erogeneous mixture of com-pounds for which no singlestructural formula will suf-fice.

acids and fulvic acids, canbe explained by variationsin molecular weight, thenumber of functionalgroups (carboxyl, phenolic

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A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H

In 2003 Omnia SpecialitiesAustralia Pty Ltd wasestablished by the Omniagroup of South Africa toacquire the humate produc-tion and marketing busi-ness of the HRL Group ofcompanies. The productsresult from the processingof specific deposits ofLeonardite type coal identi-fied in Victoria during coalexploration programs forthe electricity industry inthe 1970’s.“The technology for manu-facturing of humic acid liq-uids - actually Potassiumhumate - was developed bymyself and my colleaguesand commercialised as theproduct K-humate in 1991.This was the first manufac-ture of humic acid productsin Australia. Our K-humateis now the benchmarkhumate product in theSouthern African market, inaddition to the Australianmarket.Omnia Specialities Australiais the only manufacturer ofhumic acid using local rawmaterials in Australia.Humate products are nowwidely distributed through-out the world with mostcountries having somehumic acid in the agricultur-al market place. Unfort-unately, in the past, humic

acids have developed a badname in some regions andhave been often referred toas ‘’snake oil’’. This has beencaused by the marketing oflow quality, highly pricedproducts and exaggeratedclaims as to their effective-ness in all situations. All ofthe above represent a chal-lenge for the serious market-ing of humic acid productsin agriculture. Our focuswith K-humate and K-ful-vate products is to educatethe market to understandtheir benefits. To achievethis we use a scientific basisto explain how the productswork and base our claimson proper trial data. It must be emphasised thatLeonardite based productsare very different and moreperforming than those fromany other source. In particu-lar, recent organic matter(ROM) e.g. compost, plantwaste etc., is not generallysuitable as a raw material,since these products doshow fast benefits, but theeffect is much lower andfades very fast, at times in afew weeks. This differentbehaviour becomes evidentwhen understanding thecompositions – the large andcomplex molecules builtover millions of years inLeonardite are much more

Dr Geoff Perry, General Manager, Omnia Specialities Australia

stable, compact, rich inorganic matter and moreefficient in all the particularperformance enhancementgiven by humates. The costperformance is much infavour of Leonardite overROM based products The K-humate liquid product man-ufactured by OmniaSpecialities Australia is aguaranteed minimum 26%w/v of the active ingredient,the highest in the world, andis organically certified.Markets will continue togrow if the products aremarketed honestly with astrong education focusbased on scientific princi-ples and commercial growerexperience. Omnia Special-ities Australia will continueto expand markets inAustralia and overseasusing these principles. Wehave developed a range ofcomplimentary products,which together with humicsand fulvics can play animportant role in agricul-ture.

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“Unfortunately, in the

past, humic acids

have developed a

bad name”

different humic substancesand vegetal molecules incarbon, hydrogen, oxygenand nitrogen are reported intable 1.

MULTI-FACETED FUNCTIONS IN SOILS

Extensive studies haveshown that not much of the

humic substances in soils arein a free state but much isbound to colloidal clay. Theways in which humic sub-stances combine with themineral fraction of the soilmay be: • As salts of low molecular

weight - organic acids(acetate, oxalate, lactate

and others) with magne-site, calcite, siderite andothers.

• As salts of humic sub-stances with alkalinecations – humic acids,fulvic acids. These arethe most characteristiccompounds of soilhumic substances. The

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Table 1: Average composition of humic substances and some vegetal molecules% dry ash-free basis

Substances C H O NFulvic acids 44-49 3,5-5,0 44-49 2,0-4,0Humic acids 52-62 3,0-5,5 30-33 3,5-5,0Proteins 50-55 6,5-7,3 19-24 15,0-19,0Lignin 62-69 5,0-6,5 26-33 -

clay mineral surfaces.The interaction of organ-ic substances with clayhas a multitude of conse-quences that are reflect-ed in the physical, chem-ical and biological prop-erties of the soil matrix.

Several mechanisms areinvolved in the adsorptionof humic substances by clayminerals, the main onesbeing: van der Waals' forces,bonding by cation bridging,H – bonding, adsorption byassociation with hydrousoxides, adsorption on inter-lamellar spaces of clay min-erals.

AN UNDISPUTABLE IMPACT ONPLANT METABOLISM

Humic substances not onlyimpact on the physical,chemical and biologicalproperties of soils, they alsohave a direct influence onplants and crops. Indeed,some recent studies haveshown that humic sub-stances contain auxin orstimulate the activity of

auxin-like molecules. Theyinfluence the uptake of ionsby plants and they stimulateplant growth with efficiencycomparable to auxin (AIA).

Humic substances havealso been reported to acti-vate the second metabolismof plants, to increase CO2uptake, synthesis of ATP,and respiration of mito-chondria and to influencephotosynthesis.

Finally, the presence ofAIA (or AIA-like molecules)in humic substances hasbeen proved using ELISAmethod and liquid phaseanalysis.

Worth noting that stud-ies using humic substancesmarked with fluoresceinhave shown that the impactof humic substances onplants is mostly due to thefulvic acids: indeed fulvicacids easily penetrate inplants while humic acids–with their higher molecu-lar weight - remain outside.

EXAGGERATED CLAIMS AS TO

alkaline cations (Na+,K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) areheld primarily by sim-ple cation exchangewith COOH groups(RCOONa, RCOOKetc.). The humates andfulvates largely occur insoils as mixtures withIron and Aluminiumhydroxides.

• As chelate with metalions. A chelate complexis formed when two ormore coordinate posi-tions of a metal ion areoccupied by donorgroups of a single ligandto form an internal ringstructure. The complex-ing ability of humic andfulvic acids results large-ly from their content ofoxygen-containing func-tional groups, such asCOOH, phenolic OHand C=O groups.

Soil organic constituentsform both soluble and insol-uble complexes with metalions and thereby play a dualrole in soil.

Low molecular weightcompounds (biochemicals,fulvic acids) bring about thesolubilization of metal ionsand affect their transport toplant roots.

In contrast, high molec-ular weight compounds(e.g. humic acids) functionas a "sink" for polyvalentcations. Natural complexingagents are of considerableimportance in weatheringprocesses and in the move-ment of sesquioxides intothe subsoil.• As substances held on

Figure 1 : Postulated relationships between different humic substancesHumic substances

(pigmented polymers)

Fulvic acid Humic acid Humin

Light Yellow Dark Grey BlackYellow Brown Brown Black

Increase in intensity of colourIncrease in degree of polymerization

Increase in molecular weightIncrease in carbon contentDecrease in oxygen conent

Decrease in exchange acidityDecrease in degree of solubility

Chemical properties of humic substances (Stevenson 1982)

2,000 300,00045% 62%48% 30%1,400 500

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A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H

Aren’t the promising claimsof Humic Acids not just thefancies of aggressive salespersonnel? It seems to methat we are experiencingsimilar developments tothose that did so bad to theseaweed industry not solong ago?I fully agree with you.Nowadays there are two cir-cumstances that could nega-tively affect the credibility ofthese substances as beneficialagents to plant development:On the one hand, the lack ofconcordance between claims- which are mostly correctfrom a qualitative standpoint- and doses or type of appli-cation; and on the other handthe introduction in the mar-ket of products sold as humicsubstances whereas they areeverything but humic acids–sometimes they are evenjust waste! So, when dealing withhumic acids, are we rathertalking fertilizers, soil con-ditioners, plant biostimu-lants or a miracle combina-tion of the three?In order to have a good defi-nition of humic acids wehave to consider two com-plementary modes of action:a possible direct effect – anhormone like effect - on plantphysiology (under discus-sion in this moment in the lit-erature) and an indirect effecton the soil rhizosphere byimproving both the availabil-ity of some nutrients (such asmicronutrients of metalliccharacter and phosphorus)through the formation of sta-ble complexes and the soilporosity and aeration. Those

are the two complementaryfeatures that give humic sub-stances their specific abilityto improve plant growthunder adverse conditions. What are the main currentresearch themes on humic& fulvic acids – by the wayhow do you position fulvicvs humic focusing on agri-culture in the world?When accepting that themain physical, chemical andagronomic properties ofhumic substances (HS) areclosely related to their struc-ture and chemical nature, itthen becomes obvious howimportant it is to know ade-quately these intrinsic prop-erties of HS. That is why thestudies on the real chemicalnature of HS can be consid-ered as the main theme ofresearch today. Anothertheme that is being alsodeeply investigated at pres-ent covers the mechanismsof action of HS on plantdevelopment.As to the differencesbetween humic and fulvicsubstances from an agro-nomic viewpoint, in myopinion these differences areprincipally related to theirmolecular weight and theirmobility in the soil solution.Thus, humic acids – withhigher molecular weight –would be more impacting onsoil physic properties andlocal biological effects where-as fulvic acids – with lowermolecular weight and higherfunctionality – would prima-rily influence micronutrienttransport in the soil solutionas well as the biologicaleffects in the rhizosphere.

Dr Jose Maria Garcia Mina, Research Director,Inabonos (Roullier Group)/Spain and National

co-ordinator for Spain of the IHSS

However, both humic andfulvic acids participate ofthese different actions.Where is the research mostactive - I mean whichregions? Is it more active inlabs linked to the industryor in academic circles?It is quite difficult to saywhich regions are mostactively involved in researchon Humic Substances. In myopinion there are many labs– e.g. in Europe and in theUSA, working very hard onorganic matter and HS.Regarding industry or aca-demics, as far as I know aca-demic labs are providing themost significant knowledgeabout humic substances.However there are alsoresearch labs in the Industrythat are very interested inhumics - this is e.g. the caseof the Roullier group.Are the Southern Europemarkets quickly develop-ing, Spain in particular?Yes Southern Europe mar-kets for humic products aredeveloping very quickly. It isin my opinion a logical con-sequence of the specific agri-cultural needs and problemsof these countries, whichmainly derive from the lowcontent of soil organic matter,alkalinity of soils, and abioticstresses such as salinegrowth conditions, watershortages, high tempera-tures, etc.

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ignored the data of thoseworkers who failed to get aresponse to humus, or elsegot a detrimental effect.However, a brief glance atthe literature reveals somecontradictory results; andfor every reference to thesuccess of humus could begiven a reference to its fail-ure. It is obvious that out ofthat broad group of soil sub-stances that may be separat-ed by alkaline extraction, thehumic acids, there are somethat promote soil fertilityand some that don’t! As sim-ple as that. Not to be forgot-

micro-organisms). You maythink you’re ready to go tothe market and select thebest products! Wait a sec-ond: you may need to knowa few other things, not totalk about tricks!

Kononova, writing inthe former U.S.S.R., wherehumus has always been afavourite research topic,made some very extrava-gant claims for the effects ofhumic acids in the soil. Shehas reported at length on thebeneficial effects of humuson soil fertility and plantgrowth, but has largely

EFFECTIVENESS, AND PRODUCTSUBSTITUTION: BAD, HOWEVER

STILL WIDESPREAD HABITSYou have just finished read-ing the above basics, puttogether by a reliable inde-pendent scientist. To cut along story short, you knowthat humic acids have phys-ical benefits (physicallymodifying the structure ofthe soil), chemical benefits(chemically change the fixa-tion properties of the soil)and biological benefits (bio-logically stimulate the plantand the activities of soil

A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H

Humintech is a technolo-gy-enterprise, based inDüsseldorf, which is activein research, developmentand industrial productionof humic matter and humicacids for agriculture, ani-mal feed, pharmaceuticaland construction indus-tries, veterinary medicine,ecological use, such aswater purification andremoval of soil contamina-tion, and other applica-tions. The company devel-ops products, in particularfor agriculture, which havebeen produced underRWE/Rheinbraun AG - theworld-wide largest ligniteproducer - since the begin-ning of 1970s.”Since the rediscovery ofhumic acids in the agricul-tural sector, and especiallyduring the last 5 years, theuse of humic acid basedproducts has been perma-nently increasing. Ourproducts fulfil the demandof various agricultural andhorticultural crops. We pro-

duce in fluid, granulatedand concentrated form. Our latest achievement, aworldwide innovationindeed, has been to pro-duce after three years ofdevelopment HuminFeed –a sodium humate basedanimal feed supplement. Our expertise howeverdoesn’t date back to 3 years!The first productPerlhumus, a soil condi-tioner, was producedalready in 1971. During the1980s further humic acidproducts were developed,among others Liqhumus,and Powhumus. The latteris now very popular amongformulators around theworld due to its easy han-dling and transport. We sellour product range world-wide to formulators, whoresell them under their ownname or process them intheir own products.Products containing humicacids will be increasinglygaining on significance inthe future as they provide

Müfit Tarhan, Managing Director, Humintech, Germany

us with economical andecologically friendly solu-tions for improving thequality of our lives. Ourknow-how in productswith humic acids makesHumintech one of theworldwide leading enter-prises and largest exportersin its field. With our twoplants, one in Bergheim(Cologne) for Perlhumusand organo-mineral-fertil-izer and one in Leipzig forliquid and soluble humates- with 5000t/annual potas-sium concentrate capacity -production, we are wellprepared to serve the grow-ing demand for those prod-ucts on the world market”.

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“The use of humic

acid based products

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process of coal formation(bog>peat>coal). TheAmerican Leonardite hasoften been claimed to be thebenchmark standard forhumic acids, that was untilsome unique oxidised coalswere discovered in Australia(within the Gippsland Basinof Victoria). This Australianorganic humate, whichcould well be called"Australian Leonardite", isvery similar to Leonardite(USA – found in NewMexico, North Dakota,Wyoming, etc.) althoughbeing younger and morehighly oxidised, hence richerin humate. Some depositsare so rich they contain 98%soluble humate.Determining the solublehumate and fulvate contentof materials is relativelystraightforward by extrac-tion at high pH. The deter-mination of humic acids isnot so simple and the meth-ods used can significantlyinfluence the resultobtained. Therefore it is dif-ficult to compare claimsfrom different companies(particularly in the USA,China and Russia where thelargest manufacturers ofhumate type products canbe found), regarding thehumic acid content of theirproducts.

The difference betweenLeonardite and othersources of humic acids lies inthe fact that Leonardite isextremely bioactive throughits molecular structure. Thisbiological activity is said tobe about five times strongerthan other humic matter.

A VARIETY OF FINISHED PRODUCTS FOR A DIVERSITY OF

APPLICATIONSSince a number of years,many suppliers have come

ten is also the fact that aclaim may be correct whenassociated to a certain appli-cation method and/or rate,however it becomes invalidwhen the product is not cor-rectly used. Not to talk aboutproduct substitution that hasbecome a problem in a num-ber of markets with someproducts sold as humic acidactually containing little orno active ingredient! Asmarkets become moresophisticated the variousplayers are realizing that justbecause it is a “black liquid”it is not necessarily humicacid and the nature of theingredients and the concen-tration of humic acid are keydistinguishing factors.

LEONARDITE, THE BEST RAW MATERIAL

As appears in table 2, anumber of natural sourcesmay be considered as rawmaterial for the manufactureof humic acid/fulvic acidbased commercial speciali-ties. However, it clearly tran-spires that Leonardite is thebest source material. What isLeonardite? Indeed a soft,earthy, medium-brown coal-like substance associatedwith lignite. Leonardite isorganic matter, which hasnot reached the state of coaland differs from soft browncoal by its high oxidationdegree, a result of the

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to the market with a varietyof commercial products (seetable 3). From the pow-der/granulated Leonarditeor humic acid concentrate allthe way to powder, solublecrystalline or liquid K-humates, Amm-humates,Na –Humates and evenBoron and Magnesiumhumates, but also Fulvicacid concentrates, PotassiumFulvates, Sodium Fulvates,etc, the potential buyer has abroad choice of offerings. Interms of humic acids con-tent, one litre of liquid con-centrate is equivalent to 7-8metric tons of organicmanure. Similarly, one kilo-gram of concentrated pow-der is equivalent to about 30metric tons of manure. Amajority of the commercialhumate extracts on the mar-ket are sodium humates.Whereas sodium hydroxideextractions give an attractiveend product (especially foruse as feed additives andmedicine material for ani-mals ‘health) also price wise,there are also claims thatpotassium extraction frompremium quality genuineLeonardite removes morebioactive substances fromthe raw Leonardite material,particularly the naturalgrowth hormones and bios-timulants. An argumentoften used “against” thesodium Humates is also thatthey bring …sodium to theplant/the soil (a sodiumhumate contains about 7.5 %Na on average), which inmost cases is not desirable.

As important as the typeof product in the effective-ness of the treatment is thetype of application.Applications go from drysoil application of largequantities (like a normal fer-tilizer) or blending with fer-

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America. Others have notyet started because of legalconstraints, e.g. Francewhere not even 1 product isoffered in the market as thelegislation in place isextremely difficult to meetfor a producer (recentlyhowever one product fromSpain has got the green lightfor sale in France and thiscould mark the start of mar-ket expansion in this verybig potential market). Somemarkets are developingvery fast and the reasons forsuch development are mul-tifold: the expansion oforganic farming almost“mechanically” calls forsuch products. However thedevelopment of the marketsin e.g. Southern Europe ismore likely linked to thespecific agro-climatic, soilconditions and abiotic stressconstellation (salinity,

THE BASIS OF CONSISTENCY INAGRONOMIC RESULTS

Humate products are nowwidely distributed through-out the world. The largestmarkets can be found inEurope (Germany, UK,Switzerland, Spain, Italy),in North America (USA &Canada) but also in Asia(China, Thailand, etc).Other markets are startingto develop such as theMiddle East and South

tilizers or potting soil, all theway to foliar spraying ofconcentrated liquids and fer-tigation. And this is wheresuppliers have to be consis-tent in their approach to thebuyers/ end users in ordernot to confuse them! Eachapplication has its own pur-pose, meaning that a claimthat is documented for soilapplication may be totallywrong when foliar spraying.

A MARKET DUE TO GROW ON

Table 2 : Humic & Fulvic acids contents of various materialsNatural Sources Humic Acids % Fulvic Acids %Leonardite/Humate 40 85

Black Peat 10 40Sapropel Peat 10 20Brown Coal 10 30Dung 5 15Compost 2 5Soil 1 5Sludge 1 5Hard Coal 0 1Source Humintech

Table 3: Some Manufacturers and Suppliers of Humic & Fulvic acid products to the international marketsCompany Country Selected TrademarksAglukon Germany PlantosamAgrachem/Brandt USA/France Uptake, Leonardite PlusAgrium USA Duration CR lineAgrofill Italy NAAgxplore International USA HA-12Biolchim Italy Take Up, Humidrip, Humic upBorregard Lignotech/ Lobel USA Borregro LineCIFO Italy Biotron Line, CifoumicCosmocel Mexico Humicel, Humicrop, H-85Double Dragons Humic Acid Co China NAFine-Humate Industry Co China Fine-HumateFutureco Spain Humistrong, HumipowerGOFAR Agro Specialities China NAGreenworks Technology China HuminovaHelena Chemicals USA Hydra –Hume, TrafixHumintech Germany Liqhumus, PowhumusIteco Spain Humid’OR lineJiloca Industrial Spain Humilig, FulvinLive Earth USA LM-32, Crop Thruster Omnia Specialities Australia/South Africa K-Humate, OxyhumateQuimica Foliar Mexico Fulvicos, Fulvigran, QF ActivatorRoullier Group/Inabonos France/Spain Fertiactyl GZSPA - Ret Russia NATradecorp Spain Humical, HumistarValagro Italy Leonarpower

Source: New Ag International database and suppliers information.Note: (1)This is not an exhaustive list. (2)Only Producers and suppliers of straight humates & fulvates listed. A number of those companiesand others also supply multi-ingredient mixtures containing humic & fulvic acids.

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reputation of being the“snake oil” will come backto what they used to bereferred to before productsubstitution and exaggerat-ed claims took place: “theblack gold of agriculture”..■

drought, heat, etc.) than toanything else. There aremany reasons for the mar-kets to continue theirgrowth. Such growth how-ever will only take place onthe basis of consistent,proven agronomic results,scientific experience, and ifan international standardfor testing the specificationsof commercial products isagreed upon by the variousparties: such standardshould include the checkingof humates concentrationand solubility, heavy metalslevels, molecule size (smallfulvic molecules preferablyas foliars and larger humicsfor soils) and possibly thepercentage of oxygen infunctional groups (an indi-cation of the CEC). Thenproducts that once had the

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Humic acid at35,000 x magnification

humic substances. It is intend-ed that this approach willfocus on what is now knownin the different areas, and it

will point out what is not knownbut should be known. The IHSS convenes biennially internation-al conferences, which bring togetherhumic scientists from the soil, coal, fresh-water and marine sciences. These confer-ences are convened at an internationallocation by a leading scientist whose par-ticipation is agreed on by the Board ofIHSS. For more information, browsehttp://www.ihss.gatech.edu/

The motto of the InternationalHumic Substances Society(IHSS) is to Advance theKnowledge, Research andApplication of Humic Substances.The Society was founded in Denver,Colorado, USA, on September 11, 198.Theaims of the Society include the collectionof standard samples of humic and fulvicacids from lignite, fresh water, sea water, amineral soil, and an organic histosol soil,and the assembling of the informationwhich is available about genesis, classifi-cation, isolation, fractionation, functional-ity, structures, reactivities and interac-tions, and the environmental influences of

Learning more about Humic Substances?The International Humic Substances Society

Page 10: &TRENDS Humic & Fulvic Acids: The Black Gold of · Humic acids are indeed thought to be complex aro-matic macromolecules with amino acids, amino sugars, and peptides, aliphatic com-pounds

P R O D U C T S& T R E N D S

34 NEW AG INTERNATIONAL

A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H

Agra Chem Sales, an affili-ate company of BrandtConsolidated, has beendevoted to the formulation,application and marketingof humic substances derivedfrom genuine USALeonardite since 1970. Forthe past 20 years, theEuropean Sales Office basednear Paris, has been servic-ing clients throughoutEurope and theMediterranean Basin withUptake, a liquid potassiumHumic extract, LeonarditePlus Fine, a dry powderHumic and a number of spe-cific nutritional formula-tions which contain eitherone of these materials. “While still far from havingreached it’s potential, eventhe North American Humicmarket still holds tremen-dous promise for Humictechnologies. As a result ofstrong and innovative Humicbased product development,we believe that our world-wide sales of Humic basedproducts will increase geo-metrically over the next threeto five years, and an addition-al line of products whichcombine humates, nutrientsand other natural biostimu-lants such as seaweedextracts, now complimentsour basic Humic productrange. The synergistic effectsachieved by blending theseingredients often provideseven better results than anyone material might provide ifused alone. Other areas thatBrandt/Agra Chem tech-nologies are reaching withHumic based products aresoil reclamation, nematodecontrol and organic farming.

As the benefits of Humicproducts continue to be docu-mented, we believe that theissues of quality and experi-ence will drive the growth ofHumic substances world-wide. Rates of application,climate, soil type, specificcrop and many other factorsall play a role in determiningthose results, and those pro-ducers who possess the qual-ity, knowledge and experi-ence to help achieve themwill prosper. We at BrandtConsolidated are also carefulto advise our customersand end users that Humicproducts should never beconsidered a cure all andshould be applied at certainrates, stages of growth andunder certain growing condi-tions—just like every otherproduct we sell for profes-sional agriculture. Since theaffiliation with Brandt in2001, Agra Chem’s Humicproducts are now soldthrough all operatingdivisions on five continents.Our motto is “ProfessionalProducts for ProfessionalAgriculture”, and AgraChem’s products certainly fitthat philosophy.

An interview with Rick C. Brandt, President and CEO,Brandt Consolidated, Inc - USA

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“The North American

Humic market still

holds tremendous

promise for Humic

technologies”