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MIP® technology for a sustainable improvement of soil fertility

By August 30, 2022January 4th, 2024Plant Care
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Olmix will be describing the insights of the MIP® technology at the 2nd ISTRO Central European Conference on “Trends and challenges in soil-crop management” in Brno, Czech Republic.

Benoit Le Rumeur at ISTRO 2021.

The International Soil and Tillage Research Organization (ISTRO) is back on track to host its very annual technical conference! After celebrating a successful 3-days technical meeting last year in Croatia, where agronomists shared their thoughts on soil fertility, plant nutrition and crop resistance, this time the event will shine a spotlight on the latest trends and challenges in soil-crop management.

To be organized by the Czech, Croatian and Hungarian branches of ISTRO from the 6th to the 8th September in the city of Brno (Czech Republic), this edition will count on a diverse group of speakers and panel discussions where Olmix Plant Care will be involved. On this occasion, Benoit Le Rumeur, Olmix’s specialist in soil management, will be giving a keynote lecture about the advantages and potential of the Mineral Inducer Process (MIP®) technology to improve soil fertility in a continuous and sustainable way.

Abstract: MIP® technology for a sustainable improvement of soil fertility

As soils provide 95% of people’s food, it is essential to preserve and develop their capacity to produce quantity and quality in a sustainable way.

The main function of soil is to recycle nutrients by capturing photosynthetic energy through organic matter and to allow roots to absorb minerals and water. Compacted soil, insufficient biological activity and climate change (increased temperatures and drought frequency) disrupt this vital cycle. To support soil fertility, Olmix Plant Care is developing a technology that uses the properties of trace elements to stimulate the enzymatic activities of the soil’s microbial biomass (MIP® – Mineral Inducer process) and is providing this technology to farmers through a new generation of inputs: soil fertility activators like Neosol.

A multi-year trial conducted by the Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences in Osijek (Croatia) and the CROSTRO research team measured the effects of several parameters (tillage, fertilizer and soil activator based on MIP® technology) on soil structure, soil moisture content and yield. After 3 years, the results show that the soil activator has a positive effect on the physical organization of the soil compared to the untreated plots, regardless of the tillage system. The water retention capacity was significantly increased, and the chemical parameters of the soil were also modified.

Another study, which is part of the research programme “Soil protection and erosion control technologies” initiated and financed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, was conducted by Agricultural Research Ltd from Troubsko (CZ) and Ing. Ivana Šindelková. This five-year experiment has brought some great results with the soil fertility activator Neosol and will be presented at the upcoming conference.

Faced with the challenges of maintaining crop profitability in a context of climate change, rising fertilizer prices and the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the activation of soil microbial biomass by new types of inputs based on MIP® technology appears to be a credible alternative in combination with virtuous agronomic practices and appropriate ecosystem management.

About Olmix’s MIP® technology

Mineral Inducer Process (MIP®) is the name of the technology that Olmix Plant Care has come up through research and field test with proved efficacy. It relies on the use of bioactive properties of specific minerals and micronutrients to stimulate the reorganization of soil’s native microflora and to boost biological reactions of plants and microorganisms in a sustainable way. The MIP® technology gives birth to several ingredients among them: MIP® RHIZO to boost rhizosphere microflora and thus plant nutrition, and MIP® SOIL dedicated to stimulating humus synthesis and thus to improve soil structure.

We look forward to meeting you at the ISTRO Central European Conference!