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Dr. Ingham's Millenium E-Zine!!! January 2000 issue....
- To: london@metalab.unc.edu
- Subject: Dr. Ingham's Millenium E-Zine!!! January 2000 issue....
- From: sam@unisun.org
- Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 21:03:04 -0800
- Organization: Unisun Communications RE: Soil Foodweb, Inc.
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Dr. Ingham's Talks on the Soil Foodweb
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E-Zine Issue #3 January, 2000
Greetings fine people!
Happy New Year to you! This is our Y2K
Premptive Strike... I'm getting Dr. Ingham's
E-Zine out early this month....
Just in case.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
___________________________________
1.) Data Loss and E-List Issues:
I'm extending this for those who may
have missed it last month...
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Well, I got bit by the technology bug... HARD!
The day I came home with my new computer system was the very
day my old system decided to give up the ghost. For reasons still
unexplained my HD crashed and made the entire C: partition permanently
unavailable. This means that I lost all of the emails requesting to
be added to our subscription base and the ones requesting to be removed!
Therein also lies the delay in this issue of the E-Zine!
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IF YOU WISH TO BE REMOVED:
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Send and email to ( mailto: sam@unisun.org ) and place "remove SFI"
in the subject field.
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IF YOU WISH TO BE ADDED:
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Okay, I don't have a way of reaching those who's request was deleted so if
you know of someone who subscribed but isn't receiving the E-Zine tell them
to go to http://www.soilfoodweb.com and RESUBMIT... Or send me an email
directly at ( mailto: sam@unisun.org ) and place "subscribe SFI"
in the subject field.
Seems the new system's stable and working great! Sorry for the hassles...
So, hey, subscribe a friend as a Holiday Gift!
________________________________________________________
2.) January DEQ Compost and Compost Tea Workshop at SFI
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Composters Team Up with Microorganisms, Reduce Odor and Produce
Top Quality Compost!!!
Sponsored by Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Millions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes slave away in your
compost piles night and day. The more you know about them the more you
can keep odors down and produce high quality compost.
Learn from experts who have an intimate knowledge of compost
microorganisms.
Dr. Elaine Ingham:
Soil Foodweb, Inc. and Oregon State University Professor
Dr. Andy Moldenke:
OSU Professor
Michael Alms:
Growing Solutions, Inc.
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Day and a a Half Workshop
Tuesday and Wednesday
January 18 and 19, 2000
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Location:
Soil Foodweb, Inc., Corvallis OR
Take I-5 to Hwy 34 West, turn north on 2nd Street Hwy 20 N off of =
Harrison Street (Hwy 34)
Proceed 1/2 mile, turn left at Rivergreen Office Park.
1128 NE 2nd Street, Ste 120
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The Agenda:
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Tuesday, January 18, 2000 (full day)
9:00 Introductions
Elaine Ingham
Andy Moldenke
Michael Alms
Class Participants
9:15 What is a healthy compost?
9:30 Who are the organisms in the Compost Foodweb?
11:00 Coffe Break (provided)
11:15 Who are the bigger critters in the Foodweb?
1:00 Lunch (on your own)
2:30 Productivity Gradients: Means a Top Quality Product
3:30 Coffee Break (provided)
3:45 Testing your Compost
4:45 Products, Foods and Inocula to Bring Back the Foodweb
5:15 End of Day One
Wednesday, January 19, 2000 (half day)
8:30 How to Fix and Unhealthy Compost Foodweb
9:45 What is Compost Tea? How it Can Help you sell Compost.
11:15 Coffe Break (provided)
11:30 Recap
12:00 Your Turn: Ask the Experts!
1:00 End of Workshop
Please Sign Me Up!
I want to attend the DEQ Compost Workshop on January 18 and 19.
Name: _________________________________________________________
Business/Agency:_________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________
City:______________________________ST___________Zip_____________
Phone:______________________________Fax________________________
Email:_______________________________________________________
COST: $150 if paid in advance (check or credit card)
$175 at the door
Make Checks payable to: Soil Foodweb, Inc.
Registration is limited to 30. Please register by mail or fax, at least
one week prior to the workshop to make sure that there is room! Location
map and lodging information will be mailed to you.
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Mail or Fax Registration to:
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Soil Foodweb, Inc.
1128 NE 2nd Street, Ste 120
Corvallis, OR 97330
Fax: (541)752-5142
Phone Numbers:
Stacy @ Soil Foodweb, Inc-(541)752-5066
Marti Roberts-Pillon @ DEQ-(503)229-6738
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3.) No Joking....
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Dr. Ingham's Double CD Lecture Set "An Introduction to the Soil Foodweb" has
been running at a special price of only $13.95 through December. Well, we said
it was through December and unfortunatly, if you didn't order...we meant it!
Prices will go back up to $19.95 by January 4th...So order now and save
a few bucks! You can get two and give a late X-mas gift to your favorite grower!
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Visit this page to order:
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/multimedia.html
or visit us directly at http://www.unisun.org
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_________________________
4.) Building the Network
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We're attempting to build up the social aspect of Unisun Communications.
We've added resource links on various issues from the WTO and World Trade,
to Ecology and Food Safety issues... Dr. Ingham's been wonderful....Forwarding
us tons of valuable articles on a subject near and dear to her, food safety...
However, as with most start-ups, we're big on ideas and SHORT ON MAN-HOURS!
Or WOMAN-HOURS as the case may be...
So, if you're interested in contributing in some way, please contact us at
mailto: sam@unisun.org (for general comments and or suggestions)
mailto: tommad@mail.clipper.net (Tom Madison-He's the fellow from Coyote Hill
He's assumed duties as editor of our portion on World Trade. If you've got some
good stuff on this topic, send it to him and he'll hook us up.)
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Visit this page for more our humble beginnings
http://www.unisun.org/optimist
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We could use someone who's pretty plugged into things to feed us info of all sorts on
all topics. We've been in contact with the folks at Compara in the Netherlands about developing
this aspect of our businesses more and more and they seem to agree...Our hopes are that
we will be expanding our network to Europe with their help very soon. SFI is already
partnering with them for lab work and Tom from Coyote Hill is meeting with them in January
to discuss distribution of Dr. Ingham's product line for us in Europe! Real exciting stuff...
Maybe YOU could be our editor and keep the flow open...then we'll post the info. We've
got a rather unique thing happening here at Unisun and each month it seems to grow more
and more. Our hits to the site have trippled in the past month due to some high profile
projects.
We've been gathering quite an interesting response to our move toward social activism
since all this started with the publishing of the WTO video footage that our partners
at Coyote Hill shot last month. Good stuff....Seems folks are into learning more and
more and we could sure use your help to bring it to them.
Okay, that's the short version this month...
There's plenty of exciting news upcoming, but
I'll save that for February!
Peace,
Samuel A. Ettaro II
Unisun Communications
Dr. Ingham/SFI Publisher
http://www.unisun.org
sam@unisun.org
(541)367-8980
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Now for the January Newsletter:
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Foodweb Functions
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by E.R. Ingham
What benefits are possible that make it worth paying attention to the biological side of soils in
addition to the chemistry and mineral fertility? Are there any economic benefits that can make a real
difference to net farm income? The answer to that question is a big YES! A spoonful of healthy soil
contains many millions of beneficial microscopic organisms of various kinds that include beneficial
species of bacteria, fungi, nematodes and protozoa that never cause disease or become pests. These are
helpful species that perform vital "functions" in the root zone that can bring real profits to growers IF
soil conditions are managed in ways that allow the microbes to live and work. Think about the dollar
potential involved with each of the following six functions and then be aware that these functions
are entirely biological and only occur through a soil foodweb that is built up, intact and working!
Decomposition of crop residues, manure and other organic material:
These materials will only decompose if certain species of fungi and bacteria, the "decomposers", decay
them and allow recycling processes to occur. The ideal process forms large amounts of humus. The
decay function gets rid of crop residues, but what it really does is convert the food energy in fresh
organic matter to biological forms that feed other soil organisms that do different indispensable
functions, as described below.
Retention of nutrients:
Nitrate and some other nutrients can leach out and be lost unless they can be banked in soils until the
plant needs them. The function of nutrient retention occurs when bacteria and fungi multiply and
increase their populations in the soil. Bacteria and fungi are extremely rich in protein that is made
from nitrogen. When bacteria and fungi multiply they gather nitrates, ammonium, and organic
nitrogen from the soil and convert it to protein in their bodies. Nitrogen in this form is a bank account
of nitrogen that does not leach easily and is not lost as a gas. Products and cultural practices that
stimulate a "bloom" of bacteria or fungi reproductive growth can be used as tools to achieve nutrient
retention. When this function is working in your soil, half of the process that leads to lower rates of N
and P with no reduction in crop yield is present. You are retaining N, P, S, Ca, K, Fe, etc, in your
soil, and they will NOT end up in surface or groundwater any longer.
Nutrient Recycling:
Once nutrients have been retained, other kinds of soil organisms need to be encouraged to feed on the
bacteria and fungi. In bacterial-dominated soils, the rich meal of protein in the bacteria and fungi that
the predators eat is metabolized and part of the nitrogen is released back into the soil as ammonium
that is quickly converted to nitrate for use by crops. In fungal dominated soils, since fungi produce
organic acids, ammonium remains as ammonium, and little is converted into nitrate. Look at the form
of nitrogen in healthy orchard or conifer forest soils - it is ammonium, not nitrate, that is the major
form. Forests where nitrate is higher than ammonium are typically in severe stress, with dying trees.
The organisms that release nutrients from the bacteria and fungi (the retained form) are beneficial
nematodes that only feed on bacteria or fungi, protozoa that feed on bacteria, and beneficial soil mites
that feed on fungi. As these species go about their work they cause nitrogen especially, but also
phosphorus and other nutrients, to be released at a gradual rate that supplies crops with a steady diet
all season long.
Biological control of root rot fungi and parasitic nematodes:
A healthy soil that contains a broad diversity of microbial types most often contains species that
consume, inhibit or suppress the kinds of fungi that cause root rots and the kinds of nematodes that
attack roots. There is plenty of research and on-farm experience to show that these economic threats
can be controlled very well without the need for applied fungicides or nematicides. What it takes for
this to happen is good soil health in the form of an active, intact soil foodweb.
Production of plant growth regulators:
All plants depend on the presence of certain species of soil microorganisms in the root zone to produce
various hormones and other chemical "signals" that stimulate growth and development. Two plants
from the same seed, one in a dead soil and the other in a living soil, both with the same nutrients, will
show different rates of growth, final size and value. The plant growing in healthy soil will have found
the partnership it expects with beneficial microbes that produce growth hormones not made by the
plant itself. The plant in healthy soil will be the better plant.
Soil structure:
In order to maintain an well-aggregated soil structure, i.e., to improve or maintain good tilth, the
organisms that glue, bind and engineer soil structure and soil pores must be present. Good tilth or
good soil structure allows optimum infiltration of air, water and roots. Aggregates will not form unless
sand, silt and clay particles are "glued" together by the gums and gels that many species of soil
bacteria produce. These aggregates are further strengthened against collapse by species of beneficial
fungi that grow throughout the aggregate and physically bind it. The large pore spaces holding
"reservoirs" of water must be built by the larger critters, by microarthropods, earthworms, beetle
larvae, enchytraeids, etc. The better the set of soil organisms producing resilient structure, the more
"strength" your soil has. The more resilient the structure of the soil, the bigger the equipment that can
be driven on it, without destroying that structure.
Clean up of herbicide or pesticide carry over:
Most herbicide and pesticide molecules can be "eaten" or degraded by certain kinds of microbes in the
soil, if those species are present. A healthy soil will tend to rid itself of ag chemical carry over and
other forms of pollution.
Each of the functions above describes how soils are supposed to work and can work. Your
opportunity is to learn to employ cultural practices and biological products to get all these
functions working at top capacity. Yield and profit will be the result.
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Q&A session between Dr. Elaine Ingham and E-zine Subscribers!
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This is a real exchange and we hope to encourage you to
ask questions and send comments. We're very excited about this
opportunity to open a dialogue that will lead to further
learning by all of us.
If you have something to share, please email Dr. Elaine
Ingham directly at the following address:
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mailto: sfi@unisun.org
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Time permitting she will attempt to address your email
personally and maybe you'll find it posted in a future newsletter!
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Q&A Session #4
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Q1: I was wondering about the extent to which phyloxera would be
mitigated in soils to which compost had been added. I understand
that the heating process in the compost pile would kill them. But
will there be any beneficial effect of tilling in compost to a vineyard
that has phyloxera? Or any preventitive effect to one that does not
have phyloxera?
A1:
The eggs, adults and juvenile stages of phyloxera are killed when
organic matter is properly thermal- composted. I don’t know whether
phyloxera eggs could survive vermi-composting, having never looked at
that in vermicompost. Perhaps someone could let me know if that work
has been done. Certainly no adult or juvenile stages of phyloxera would
stick around through the vermi-composting process.
The rest of the answer is based on current “look-see” studies that we’re
doing. Most of these studies are still within the “observation” stage of
the scientific method. I’ve been criticized pretty severely by at least
one University scientist who seems to not understand that observation is
part of the scientific method. All science starts with a series of
observations that leads to hypotheses about how we think the world works.
Without decent observations, you end up randomly testing every possible
combination. While some people seem to think that approach is “more scientific”,
there isn’t enough money in the US Treasury to actually test every possible combination.
So, with phyloxera, we’re still at the stage of observing what soil life
is correlated with presence or absence of phyloxera. Does the lack of
experimentally manipulated plots mean we aren’t doing science? No, we’re
doing science, but it is the early stages of the scientific method. Once
we can pare down the variables, the replicated, very-expensive stage of
experimental manipulation will be less costly. But please note, I didn’t
say cheap. I also tend to be somewhat empirical. If whatever you’re
doing improves plant growth, then keep trying it. We’ll then do the science
to demonstrate the mechanism of why there is benefit.
Having taken a number of samples from a variety of places, we see that
phyloxera is usually not present, or never reaches high populations in
soil with organic matter levels above 2.5 to 3%, as long as there is a
decent set of organisms in that soil. We have seen phyloxera in soils
with 3 or 4% organic matter, but only when the soil had been treated with
a nematicide or insecticide. Our suspicion is that whatever it is in healthy
soil that suppresses phyloxera was killed by that nematicide or insecticide.
I’ve had people listen to that last statement and turn around and attack me
for saying that nematodes or harmful insects suppress phyloxera. I didn’t
say either of those things! What we observed was that following use of a
certain nematicide or insecticide, phyloxera became a problem. What’s going on?
First of all, most nematicides and insecticides don’t kill just nematodes or
just insects. Nematicides, for example, most certainly kill the beneficial
nematodes and some of the pest nematodes. But they kill many other organisms
in the soil too. Which ones? Depends on the nematicide, soil type, the set
of organisms present, the amount of organic matter, how wet the soil is, etc.
It could be the loss of one of these non-target organisms that gives phyloxera
free reign to move into a vineyard after application of nematicide or insecticide.
Beneficial nematodes could be competing with phyloxera for roots to eat, or it
could be something else that the chemical killed that was inhibiting phyloxera.
It also suggests why we see control only when organic matter is greater than 2 to
3%. You have to have the food to keep the suppressive organisms alive. No organic
matter, no food. But then I fully expect to run across the case where there’s
sufficient % organic matter present, but the organic matter is not the right kind
to feed the phyloxera-suppressive organisms. It would be interesting to add what
we think are the suppressive fungi, for example, to soil with adequate organic matter,
but that has phyloxera. If we get the fungi to grow and suppress phyloxera root-feeding,
we could all jump up and down with joy. It would give a strong clue about the direction
to go. Scientific study? What I just described is not “scientific”, i.e., fully
replicated, but would clearly point the way to the scientific experiment to demonstrate
the mechanism.
Not all organic matter is the same. Think about this - hot dogs, bread, chocolate,
broccoli, and cotton are all forms of organic matter. The first four will help sustain
human life (well, at least fill your stomach), but try eating your t-shirt and you
rapidly come to the conclusion that not ALL organic matter is good for humans to consume.
Do you have the right organic matter to feed the organisms that will suppress phyloxera,
or keep phyloxera from moving into your vineyard? If you don’t, then add the right stuff.
What’s the right stuff? Darn! We don’t know.
And if it is the right food to feed the right set of organisms then it’s not just the
food, but the organisms that have to be there. No one has experimentally assessed
both factors. I feel it is woefully short-sighted, and indicative of researchers
that don’t understand what organic matter is all about, when they only add organic
matter to a previously conventionally-farmed soil. What makes them think they even
have organisms to properly decompose the organic matter (which they don’t), much
less the set of organisms that would be suppressive to phyloxera?
We don’t understand the mechanism(s) that might be operating to suppress phyloxera
or to keep it out in the first place. The mechanism likely has to do with the
presence of fungi and with having predators of phyloxera. Fungi could be operating
to keep phyloxera out of the vineyard in three ways:
1) Mycorrhizal fungi may make roots unpalatable to phyloxera. We see many fewer insect
bite-wounds on mycorrhizal colonized roots.
2.)Both mycorrhizal and saprophytic fungi produce anti-feeding compounds, materials
that phyloxera may not like. Fungi may produce materials toxic to phyloxera, some
of which may be Bt-like compounds.
3.) Some fungi parasitize phyloxera. Some fungi may be food for phyloxera.
There are reports of phyloxera feeding on fungi instead of roots. Phyloxera may
prefer to eat fungi, whose cytoplasm is juicier than that of roots. Kill the fungi
and the insect has to suck on roots. Lots of fungi, no root damage.
Of course, predators have to be considered too -
4.) Predators of phyloxera need more than just phyloxera to eat. They need a balanced
diet of lots of things - if there are too few mites, springtails, aphids etc to eat,
they won't come into a vineyard to get just phyloxera. Thus, a healthy set of food
items is needed to entice the things that eat phyloxera into the vineyard. Thus, a
healthy soil foodweb is needed. You have to feed the things that phyloxera eats so
phyloxera doesn’t eat your roots.
5.) Predators of phyloxera are needed too. If you feed your phyloxera lots of good fungi,
the phyloxera increases in numbers until you can’t grow enough fungi to feed them all,
and then they go after your roots. So, who eats phyloxera? Spiders, for one. Spray
insecticide in your vineyard, and guess what? You likely just killed the spiders, and
when phyloxera returns from the neighboring field, there are no spiders to eat them.
If you were a spider and just watched all your neighbors in a vineyard die, would you
move in? I’m being a bit anthropomorphic, but it’s probably not too unrealistic.
Spiders in the neighboring field have their territories already set up, they won’t
move. Maybe some spider off-spring would be willing to move back in, but spider life
cycles can be a month to a year long, so control takes a while to re-generate.
6.) Predators need places to live, hiding places, moisture. Bare soil provides no cover
and no moisture for predators. They get eaten long before they can control phyloxera.
Which of the above is responsible for the results we’ve seen with good organic matter,
healthy soil? We don’t know. Of course, maybe it’s all of the mechanisms working
together. The example I like to use here is that it’s easier to maintain control of
a crowd of problem people with a machine gun than a single shot rifle. Having more
than one bullet is a good idea. Get all possible control mechanisms going, and then
we'll be successful.
So, how do you get all of these mechanisms into your soil? Good compost will contain
the fungi. You can get a good inoculum of the right fungi in compost tea, and add the
humic acids the fungi need in the tea or apply commercially available products that
provide food for fungi.
You may need to inoculate mycorrhizal fungi. You may need to stop using insecticides
that kill spiders or other predators, and you may need to provide living space or
habitat for arthropods that attack phyloxera. Quite often living space will be provided
by good compost mulched on the soil surface. Talk to the people at Rincon-Vitova in
California about what is needed for habitat for these predators. Call University
people that work on beneficial insects (Bob Bugg at University of California in Davis,
or Ralph Berry at Oregon State University for examples), and give them some motivation
to find the insects that provide these solutions.
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End of Main Body
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Unisun Communcations is proud to announce the release of....
Dr. Elaine Ingham Talks on the Soil Foodweb---An audio CD Lecture Series.
The first in the series of 8 lectures is "An Introduction to the Soil
Foodweb" and is now available! We hope you decide to purchase this
first CD. If you have an interest in helping us distribute this line
of products we'd love to chat with you further... Please read on!
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DR. ELAINE INGHAM's CURRENT PUBLISHED WORKS
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Compact Disc: Dr. Ingham Talks on the Soil Foodweb
Speaker: Dr. Elaine Ingham
Lable: Coyote Hill MultiMedia
Distributor: Unisun Communications
Format: Double CD Set
These are not live recordings. All of the CD's are recording in a state
of the art digital recording studio and are of the highest quality.
Diagrams accompany the CD on the inside jacket.
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CD Series #1--"An Introduction to the Soil Foodweb" NOW AVAILABLE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Elaine Ingham discusses the important functional groups of organisms
that live in soil, how and why they enhance plant growth and production.
This is the introductory talk about the Soil Foodweb. All other CD's assume
an understanding of this introductory material.
Included in this Double CD set:
-The seven benefits of a beneficial soil foodweb.
-Who starts the process? Soil organisms or plants?
-Disease suppression: Working together.
-Nutrient retention: Bacteria and Fungi
-Production of plant available nutrients: Protozoa, nematodes
and microarthropods
-Getting rid of toxic compounds.
-Soil structure: Bacterial bricks, fungal walls, protozoan,
nematode and microarthropod engineers.
-Some considerations about plant health
For more information, to order, and to even PREVIEW her CDs please
visit http://www.soilfoodweb.com or visit us at http://www.unisun.org/artists/ingham
If you wish more to get information on distribution, wholesale/reseller
pricing, and press opportunities with Dr. Ingham and other Unisun Communications
& Coyote Hill Multi Media Products please let us know and we'll give you
a direct phone call!
Peace,
Samuel Anthony Ettaro II
Unisun Communications
http://www.unisun.org
(541)367-8980