Improving the quality of cereal grains and rapeseed and faba bean plants through innovative cultivation technology using basalt dust and sulphur'. The aim of the operation is to develop and implement an innovative technology for improving grain quality

The aim of the operation is to bring about a qualitative change in the grain or seed by increasing its protein, methionine or fat content as a result of an innovative plant-growing technology using basalt dust enriched with sulphur in the form of granules called Basalt-S.

The use of Basalt-S in the cultivation technology of selected crops, which, through the treatments carried out, will enable the quality of the grains and seeds to be improved. The task of Basalt-S, in the first instance, will be to improve the properties of soils, especially acidified and sulphur-poor soils, which will have an impact on the stability and volume of yields and obtain products of much better quality in comparison with products previously obtained from low-fertile soils in Poland and countries in Europe with similar soil and climatic conditions.

Main tasks to be carried out:

1. development of a suitable recipe for the production of a mixture of basalt dust and sulphur based on the results of a preliminary pot experiment;
2. to produce a stable granular material based on the developed recipe in order to spread evenly in the fields and to eliminate the risk of blowing out of the fields;
3. evaluation of the results of the micro-plot experiments (yield and quality, physico-chemical and microbiological properties of the soil), on the basis of which the best granulate - Bazalt-S - will be selected;
4. development of recommendations for the use of Bazalt-S in the cultivation technology of selected alluvial crops on the basis of field experiments.

The main benefits of the project

The main benefits to be derived from the application of an innovative technology for growing staple alluvial crops, involving the use of sulphur-enriched basalt dust called Basalt-S, include the anticipated effect on increasing yields and improving the nutritional value of these crops and, consequently, increasing soil pH and enriching the soil with sulphur.

The target group that will benefit from the results of the Operation are both farmers obtaining higher yields and related economic benefits, as well as consumers (humans and animals) consuming better quality agricultural products. The implementation of the Operation also brings environmental benefits.

The use of basalt dust, which is a hard-to-sell fraction in the mining company's operations, will contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources through waste-free and full utilisation of rock raw materials.

Results achieved

The overriding benefit for farmers from the application of the result of the Operation (Bazalt-S granules) relates to an improvement in the nutritional quality of wheat grain and an increase in the oleaginousness of oilseed rape compared to those grains and seeds currently obtained from acidified and sulphur-poor soils in Poland. Such gains, directly translate into market and financial advantages for farms using Bazalt-S improver in cultivation.

In addition, the cultivation of wheat, rape and peas on the above-mentioned soils, according to the developed technology for the application of Bazalt-S granulate, will result in a higher yield of these plants, which was confirmed in production tests, in a farmer's field, where a 20% increase in grain yield and a 15% increase in wheat straw yield were obtained, as well as a 13% increase in rape seeds and straw. The application of Basalt-S will also result in an increase in certain macronutrients in both the plant and the soil. In addition, the quality of the soil in terms of microbial diversity will also be improved, which is undoubtedly crucial in terms of obtaining a better quality crop. What is more, a farmer using basalt-S granulate may gain various types of support, including financial support for farms developing organic farming in Poland.

Up to now, the problem for farmers on such farms has been the very small range of fertilisers approved for organic farming. Basalt-S is a fully organic product, made only from raw materials of natural origin, which can be used in organic farming. Using Basalt-S as a single product in place of two different ones (lime and sulphur) will result in savings in very expensive organic production (reduced field trips). Looking also a little more broadly at the real gain not only for farmers, the results of the Operation also have environmental benefits especially for the local society in terms of the elimination of rock dust heaps deposited by the basalt mines. The dust from these heaps causes dust in the surrounding area, and the heaps themselves have a negative impact on the landscape of e.g. the foothills of the tourist regions of Lower Silesia.

The aim of the operation was to introduce a product innovation with regard to a qualitative change in the grain or seed of at least one economically important crop, e.g. wheat, peas or oilseed rape, which consisted in increasing their protein, methionine or fat content as a result of the application of an innovative plant cultivation technology using sulphur-enriched basalt dust fertilisation.

As part of Operation:

• The physico-chemical parameters of the granule components and the integration additives were studied;
• The optimum composition of basalt dust and sulphur mixtures in pot experiments was determined;
• The physico-chemical parameters of the granules produced were studied;
• The effectiveness of selected granules in microplot experiments was studied;
• Physicochemical parameters and microbial changes of soils after granular application in microplot experiments were studied;
• The performance of the granules was tested in field experiments in order to develop the technology for their application in agriculture;
• Fertiliser recommendations were developed;
• Biochemical parameters and changes in microbial diversity of the soil environment after granular application under field conditions were studied;
• and Macronutrients in soils were studied after field tests.

Research results:

Through the application of Bazalt-S granules with 1.5% sulphur content in a wheat crop grown on a light soil with low sulphur content, an improvement in the nutritional value of wheat grain (a significantly improved product) was obtained in the form of a 28% increase in methionine content and an 8% increase in protein compared to medium soils. The same wheat grain showed an increase in nitrogen and magnesium. There was a 7% increase in the fat content of rapeseed to 40.5% d.m. The application of Bazalt-S also resulted in an increase in grain/seed and straw yields of wheat, peas and rapeseed; an increase in plant sulphur content, stabilisation of the soil reaction, as well as an increase in soil assimilable sulphur content and enrichment of the soil with exchangeable calcium and assimilable magnesium. An innovative technology for plant cultivation using Bazalt-S granules was also developed. The technology has been implemented in agriculture and is presented in the form of a brochure containing a description of how to incorporate Basalt-S into the cultivation technology of the aforementioned plants, along with doses, application dates and application methods.

Additional comments

The place where audiovisual material on the operation was made available:

1. Konferencja pn. "UPRAWA ROŚLIN W ŚWIETLE WYKORZYSTANIA TRUDNO ZBYWALNEJ FRAKCJI KRUSZYW"; 25.10.2023, Wrocław.
2. Konferencja pn. „III Szczyt Polskich Grup Operacyjnych EPI”, 14-15.11.2023, Łódź.
3. Konferencja pn. "Drugie Śniadanie Biznesowe z EIT Raw Materials, 05.12.2023, Wrocław.
4. Konferencja pn. "Podkarpackie Forum Innowacji- Gospodarka Obiegu Zamkniętego; 11-12.12.2023 r. Rzeszów.
5. Konferencja pn. "INNOWACJE AGROTECHNICZNE W UPRAWIE ZBÓŻ I RZEPAKU"; 13.12.2023, Wrocław.
6. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0UMT7T4xbqr7RoERi2pgs7ufQnDjfXyFCt8A9tHCsBwKMxMKXFN5cu5L4qxHULwEul&id=100078316148241
7. https://www.igo.wroc.pl/pl/poprawa-jakosci-ziarna-zboz-oraz-nasion-rzepaku-i-roslin-bobowatych-poprzez-innowacyjna-technologie-uprawy-z-wykorzystaniem-pylu-bazaltowego-i-siarki#budzet
8. https://www.ksowplus.pl/baza-danych/baza-grup-operacyjnych-epi?tx_wrobksowepi_epi%5Baction%5D=show&tx_wrobksowepi_epi%5Bcontroller%5D=EPIOperationalGroup&tx_wrobksowepi_epi%5BePIOperationalGroup%5D=159&cHash=2ebf1a3e0be7c1ad386b7cac18e9e79e
9. Katalog Polskich Grup Operacyjnych EPI 2022, Centrum Doradztwa Rolniczego w Brwinowie Oddział Warszawa, str. 18-19.