Background
Industrial agriculture can degrade soil quality for crops by altering the total living microbial biomass of soil. Many practices and beneficial ag products have been introduced to the market to improve soil quality. Some of these products are humic substance-based products.
Objective
The objective of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy of applying supplementary Huma® products that contain various degrees of humic substances (organic acids) and nutrients. Specifically used were the following Huma® products: Encapsalt®, Super Phos®, Max Pak®, 44 Mag®, Vitol®, Super Nitro®, Breakout®, Fertil Soil®, Manganese, Iro-Max®, and X-Tend®. The particular emphasis covered in this report is on assessing their effect on improving overall soil biology.
Materials & Methods
This trial was conducted on 4 different alfalfa fields at a commercial farm near Dateland, in southwest Arizona. The field trial spanned over several months. Fields one, two, and three received grower standard fertilizers (GS), and field four was treated with various Huma® products outlined in Table 1. A center-pivot sprinkler system provided irrigation water to all
the fields. The materials were applied shortly after each cutting and/or at the mid-point of a cutting through the sprinkler system. Standardized protocols were used to assess soil biology at Ward Laboratories in Kearney, Nebr.

Table 1. Applications of Huma® products and their amounts per acre during the
growing season of alfalfa in southwest Arizona.
Results
Huma® products significantly enhanced soil biology. The total microbial biomass in the alfalfa field treated with various Huma® products was several times higher than in fields using regular fertilizers (Figure 1).
Additionally, the diversity of microorganisms in the Huma®-treated field surpassed that of the fields receiving only the standard fertilizer program (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Effects of Huma® products on soil biology.

Figure 2. Effects of Huma® products on soil biology diversity.
Conclusions
Soil biology can be improved in the long run and short run. Applying Huma® products that contain natural humic substances and organic acids can improve soil biology in a much shorter time in a sustainable way. The Huma® products can be used for improving crop growth and soil microbiome. They can efficiently revitalize agricultural land and assist with regenerative agriculture.