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Success in Arid Arizona

     Arid lands across the globe are being impacted by water shortages that are having grave economic consequences. In the arid west of the United States, this is causing a conflict between cities and agricultural entities which are competing for the same water!   At the same time, arid soils have been compromised due to common management practices and therefore are not functioning at optimum capacity.  As a result, these soils provide relatively low levels of water and nutrition to vegetation. These compromised soils lack or are deficient in Mycorrhizal fungi and Humic substances; both Mycorrhizal fungi and Humic substances greatly increase a soils capacity to hold water and a plant’s ability to uptake nutrients. 

     If we do not restore compromised arid soils, we cannot maximize crop success nor the conservation of water in arid lands of the Western United States, nor anywhere else on the globe.

     Mycorrhizae associate with roots and help improve the uptake of water and mineral nutrients from the soil, particularly during times of drought or when soil pH decreases mineral availability.  “Developing agricultural practices using the fungus as an inoculum could help bring back low-input agriculture and enable cultivation of arid or semi-arid lands because the fungus promotes drought resistance in the plants it colonizes” said Dr. Lammers of New Mexico State University. 

     Humic substances, containing Humic Acids, are complex biologic chemicals, which are prevalent in healthy top soils.  Humic substances are incredibly hydrophilic (water-loving),  they significantly increase a soils Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and they contribute to macroaggregate formation.  Combined these benefits convert arid soils, which more than likely are not providing sufficient water nor nutrients, into a soil which provides abundant nutrients and water.  

Below are 2 sets of pictures illustrating success in arid Arizona:


  • The following 3 pictures show an increase in root mass in a Barley crop grown in Arizona. The barley was treated with Humic Acids and inoculated with mycorrhizal spores. The plants with the larger root system are from the treated fields. These photos were taken by the farmer who grew this crop.



Barley on the left treated with MycoMaxima (Mycorrhizae) and TerraPro (Humic Acids)
Barley on the right not treated!


Barley on the left treated with Mycorrhizae.
Barley on the right not treated!


Barley grown in the Arizona desert.


  • The next 2 photos show a successful erosion control project on the median of Highway 93, near Hoover Dam. Notice the lack of vegetation on the untreated hills bordering the highway; this site is brutally hot and dry.  As expected the mix of native wildflowers germinated nicely and is now the greenest place around. The hyper-hydrophilic nature of the Humic Acids, plus the improved water uptake of plants because they’ve been made mycorrhizal, accounts for the instigation of sustainable vegetation.


Erosion Control project on Highway 93 in Arizona


Written by:
Aurora Fabry-Wood
Staff Biologist

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