Innovative Soil Amendment For Water Saving In Agriculture And Urban Landscapes
Landscape Middle East|September 2018

Figure 1: AustraBlend is olive gray (5Y 5/2) on Munsell color notation system, where 5Y is Hue (relation to color spectrum-red, yellow, green, blue & purple), 5 is value (lightness of color) and 2 is chroma (strength of the color)

Innovative Soil Amendment For Water Saving In Agriculture And Urban Landscapes

What is AustraBlend®Multi Mineral Root Zone Conditioner?

AustraBlend® (ABMMRZC) is olive gray on Munsell soil color chart (Figure 1), mined from Australia and is rich in Nontronite clay mineral. Nontronite belongs to the triphormic phyllosilicate clay minerals group – Smectites. It consists of two Silica tetrahedron sheets and sandwiched Alumina octahedron sheet termed as 2:1 type of clay minerals (Figure 2). Nontronite is the iron (Fe) rich member of the smectite group of clay minerals. Due to crystal imperfections and isomorphous substitution it presents high negative charges which attract positively charged nutrients (NH4, K, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn etc) on their negatively charged surfaces, which are released to plants on demand. High negative charges are a source of cation-exchange-capacity (CEC) which determines soil fertility status of soil. Other minerals in variable quantities are plagioclase, anorthoclase, clinopyroxene and quartz.

Sandy soils, dominant in the UAE and GCC countries present very low CEC, hence are infertile and require frequent irrigation and nutrient application as these elements are lost through leaching. AustraBlend has shown a great capacity to improve CEC, sandy soil structure and thus significantly reduce water and nutrient applications.

AustraBlend®MMRZC saves water!

• A trial at Dubai based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) revealed 50% guaranteed water saving in forage production system without reducing forage yield compared to 100% ETc water application (Figure 3).

Esta historia es de la edición September 2018 de Landscape Middle East.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 2018 de Landscape Middle East.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE LANDSCAPE MIDDLE EASTVer todo
Minor Paradises
Landscape Middle East

Minor Paradises

Reinterpreting the possibilities of garden design in a world with limited water

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 2019
Karratha Health Campus From Baron Sandpit To Restorative Oasis
Landscape Middle East

Karratha Health Campus From Baron Sandpit To Restorative Oasis

Resourceful planting and irrigation are helping this new civic landscape thrive in the harsh climate of Australia’s Pilbara region.

time-read
4 minutos  |
December 2019
Recreating The Magic Of Expo 67
Landscape Middle East

Recreating The Magic Of Expo 67

Once home to the 1967 Expo world fair, Montreal’s iconic Parc Jean-Drapeau is transformed by designer Lemay

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 2019
Designing Open Spaces
Landscape Middle East

Designing Open Spaces

Turkish company, Orientalis Landscaping shares their insight from a recent residential project in Sharjah.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 2019
Interview With Sajid Kagadi
Landscape Middle East

Interview With Sajid Kagadi

Business Development Manager GreenKeeper Landscaping & Irrigation Works LLC. Dubai, UAE.

time-read
5 minutos  |
December 2019
A Pakistani Family Home That Blends And Ages With The Landscape
Landscape Middle East

A Pakistani Family Home That Blends And Ages With The Landscape

This is the dream home for Mr. Y K and his family, he has fairly traditional tastes but was open to new ideas for the design.

time-read
1 min  |
December 2019
Wasit Wetland Centre Is A Beacon Of Conservation
Landscape Middle East

Wasit Wetland Centre Is A Beacon Of Conservation

A former waste dumping ground in Sharjah has had its indigenous ecosystem restored and is proving popular with visitors who come to learn about their natural environment.

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 2019
Sustainable Landscape Refurbishment – A Change Initiative
Landscape Middle East

Sustainable Landscape Refurbishment – A Change Initiative

Landscape refurbishment is a sustainable solution to save environmental pollution by reducing waste and conserving material by maintaining them with eco – friendly practices.

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 2019
Save The Trees
Landscape Middle East

Save The Trees

John A. Davies, an avid Landscape reader, explains his love for trees and how we can save them with various case studies

time-read
4 minutos  |
October 2019
Why Heirloom Tomatoes Are Trending
Landscape Middle East

Why Heirloom Tomatoes Are Trending

Heirloom vegetables, herbs, and flowers are having a moment right now! You’ll find them in most top restaurants and sitting supreme in your local market but they’re not a new thing- in fact they’ve come to us from the past. What are they and what do they mean for our health?

time-read
7 minutos  |
October 2019