Huma Pro® Stimulates Rhizophagy Cycle of Microbes to Increase Root Growth, Rutgers Univ.
Conducted by: James White, PhD, Rutgers University
Huma Gro® Products: Huma Pro®

The purpose of this research project was to evaluate how humic acids stimulate microbial activity and initiation of the rhizophagy cycle (in which plants cultivate microbes on their roots and then absorb them to extract their nutrients). Huma Gro® Huma Pro®, a liquid 6% humic acid product, was used as the humic acid biostimulant source.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Huma Pro®, a 6% liquid humic acid, was incorporated into agarose at concentrations of 0%, 0.01%, and 0.10% humic acids. Seeds of tall fescure, annual bluegrass (Poa annua), and beefsteak tomato were surface disinfected in 3% NaOCl for 30 minutes to reduce microbial load on seedlings. Seeds were germinated and grown for 6 days on agarose (a polysaccharide derived from seaweed) with and without the Huma Gro® product.
CONCLUSIONS
Huma Pro® promotes seedling development in the seedlings tested. Root length in seedlings treated with Huma Pro® increased 73% (tomato) to almost 300% (tall fescue), roots growing downward increased 7 percentage points (tomato) to almost 75 percentage points (bluegrass), and shoot length increased 80% for tall fescue. Huma Pro® acts to stimulate the root microbiome and shows evidence of stimulating the rhizophagy cycle. Stimulation of the rhizophagy cycle in plants should result in increased nutrient absorption in plants.
Click HERE to read the full report.
Related Posts
How the “Three Sisters” Fed a New World
Discover how the Native American “Three Sisters” farming system, corn, beans, and squash, created a powerful, regenerative growing method that helped feed the New World and shaped sustainable agriculture long before modern science.
On The Brink: Farm Crisis Fears
Corn growers and specialty crop producers are facing mounting financial pressure as input costs soar and commodity prices drop. With farm aid ramping up and the DOJ investigating antitrust concerns, U.S. agriculture sits on the edge of a potential crisis.
The Immortal Words of a Corn Legend
"Any corn plant that doesn’t emerge within 12 hours of others is a weed.” Immortal words from an immortal farmer. My friend Steve Albracht. The brash Texan certainly had a way with words. And with corn. I called him the Ric Flair of corn growers – he held as many National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) yield contest titles as Flair has wrestling championships. And he was just as bold. Visiting his Hart, Texas, farm was akin to visiting that of Francis Childs or Roswell Garst. Fast, uniform crop emergence and singulation weren’t just a goal; it was his obsession. He wanted every plant in the entire field to emerge within eight hours. Studies show that plants emerging 24 hours later can lose up to 25% of their yield. While some corn hybrids may be called racehorses, they don’t close on each other like racehorses do. Slow emergers and runt plants will never catch up to early risers.

