What exactly is humic acid?
It is an organic substance formed by the decomposition and transformation of animal and plant remains, especially plant remains, through microbial decomposition, transformation, complex chemical processes and long-term accumulation. Humic acid is acidic, with a pH value between 3 and 5. It can effectively improve saline-alkali land and help increase crop yields.
How is humic acid classified?
According to the molecular weight, humic acid can be divided into three categories.
(1) Palmitic acid: This is the part of humic acid that is soluble in alkali but insoluble in acid, which is called palmitic acid.
(2) Fulvic acid: The part that is soluble in both alkali and acid is called fulvic acid. It is worth noting that fulvic acid shows the highest activity among humic acids and has the most significant effect on promoting crop yields.
The core role of humic acid in the agricultural field.
These roles can be summarized into five categories.
(1) Improving soil structure and increasing crop yields. Humic acid can improve the physical properties of the soil and enhance the soil’s ability to retain water and fertilizer, thereby increasing crop yields.
(2) Improve the efficiency of fertilizer utilization. Humic acid can reduce the volatilization loss of nitrogen fertilizer, promote the absorption and utilization of nitrogen, and thus improve the efficiency of fertilizer utilization.
(3) Stimulate crop growth and enhance photosynthesis. Humic acid can promote the rooting and seedling growth of crops, increase the photosynthesis intensity of crops, and provide more energy for crops.
(4) Improve crop stress resistance. Under adverse conditions such as water, temperature, salt and heavy metals, humic acid can protect the stability of crop cell membranes and maintain the normal growth rate of crops.
(5) Optimize the quality of agricultural products. Humic acid can make crop stems thick, resistant to lodging, and leaves lush, while increasing the chlorophyll content, thereby improving the quality of agricultural products.
Types of humic acid and their characteristics.
First of all, the effect of pure humic acid and alginic acid on crops is to promote crop growth by regulating the environment or a certain link of crop metabolism; while amino acids are directly absorbed by crops and become part of the body structure. In addition, humic acid also has different salt forms, such as sodium humate, potassium humate, etc., which also differ in properties and uses.
The main reason is the difference in original substances. Humic acid in soil mainly comes from lower organisms, animal residues and herbaceous plants, and minerals play an important role in it. In contrast, the original substances of coal humic acid are mainly higher plants, with less participation of animals and minerals. Therefore, in practical applications, we use soil humic acid more because the mineral components required by the soil are fully guaranteed.
