New generation of fertilizer research based in Shoals

MUSCLE SHOALS - Higher prices for fertilizer in recent years have taken a toll on profit margins for farmers throughout the world, prompting many to ask if there are any cheaper alternatives for providing nutrients to their crops.

Work under way by a Shoals organization is aimed at providing farmers with affordable fertilizers that also would be more environmentally friendly than those used now on farms around the globe.

IFDC, which bills itself as an International Center for Soil Fertility an Agricultural Development, based in Muscle Shoals, has recruited scientists worldwide to help with the research.

Amit Roy, president and CEO of IFDC, said researchers are working to develop fertilizer that would release nutrients such as nitrogen as needed by crops. He said much of the nitrogen in conventional fertilizer is lost to evaporation or is washed away by rain. The nitrogen-laden runoff can cause algae to proliferate in streams, rivers and oceans, sometimes killing fish and other aquatic life.

Roy said time-release fertilizers now on the market reduce the amount of nutrients lost into the environment, but are too costly for many farmers, especially those in developing countries to afford.

"We want to develop a fertilizer that will be economical for all farmers to use and one that is going to remain where it is applied and not be washed away or evaporate," he said.

The research marks a return of the Shoals being a leader in fertilizer development. From the 1950s to 1980s, most of the major innovations in fertilizers were developed in Muscle Shoals by Tennessee Valley Authority researchers. John Shields, interim director of research and development for IFDC and a former TVA executive, said more than 75 percent of fertilizers used on farms, lawns and gardens today were created in the Shoals.

Unlike when TVA was developing fertilizer and teams of scientists were based in the Shoals, the Internet and modern communication technology allow researchers to work in labs all over the world and share their findings with the click of a few computer keys. The research is being coordinated by scientists at IFDC's Muscle Shoals headquarters.

Roy said the research will create additional jobs at the Muscle Shoals headquarters where 115 people work.

A new division of IFDC, known as the Virtual Fertilizer Research Center, has been created to oversee the project.

Randall Armstrong, Lauderdale County coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said interest in the research will be keen among farmers.

"With the price of fertilizer doing what it's doing, farmers are looking for ways to cut costs," Armstrong said. "If IFDC comes up with a fertilizer that will help farmers save money and also be better utilized by their crops or pastures, it will make the farmers very happy."

While IFDC works with farmers in developing nations to help them boost yields from their crops and create markets for their farm products, Roy said the findings from the new research will be shared with fertilizer manufacturers worldwide, including the United States.

Roy said donations are being sought from the fertilizer industry, world governments and organizations to help pay for the research.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.