The delegation of GJ Magma LTD Innovation Center Scarabaeus participated at the international confere Impacts of Soil Amendments on Dryland Agro-Ecosystems on 28-30 October at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.
The essential operating principles of the Scarabaeus technology were presented, which will be described in more detail in the article 5 Times Cheaper, an Innovative Method to Restore Non-Productive Soil, by Inserting Organic Matter Only Locally. The manuscript will be published in the Proceeding journal IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.
Abstract
GJ Magma Ltd. developed and tested technology suitable for modifying non-productive soil to a fertile up to level suitable for crop production, 5 times cheaper than using traditional technologies. The activity is based on the premise: to restore non-productive soil, it is necessary to restore soil humus by adding organic matter. Considering that there is a significant deficit of organic materials in the world market, we offer to examine the possible use of sapropel, a natural organic material - organic-mineral sediments of freshwater lakes. Global resources of sapropel amount to over 100 billion tones, in Lithuania about 2 billion tonnes. The effect of sapropel on the restoration of non-productive soils due to humus deficiency was established in research in Egypt, Bahrain, UAE. Good yields have been obtained. It was found that it is possible to save up to 50% of irrigation water. The scientific conclusion that the optimal insertion rate of sapropel is 60 t/ha was confirmed. It is unprofitable. GJ Magma Ltd. developed the Scarabaeus agricultural machine, which enables the effective sapropel insertion rate to be reduced from 60 t/ha to 12 t/ha and obtain the same yield. The cost of the soil improver is reduced by 5 times. The essence of Scarabaeus technology: the soil improver is inserted locally into the plant root growth zone only in the plant growth lines in technological inserts with 15 cm diameter. The depth of technological inserts is from 10-25 cm to 15-30 cm from the soil surface. The depth selected for a specific plant. Plants roots are concentrated in, but not limited to, technological insert. The spaces between the lines of plant growth - 50-70 cm are not cultivated, and the soil improver is not inserted in these spaces. The technology enables the use of soil improvers: sapropel, granular manure, vermicompost. It is a cost-effective technology. In 2019-2021, the performance of the Scarabaeus technology was tested by creating an artificial soil in the sandy soil of a sand-gravel quarry in Lithuania. Yields comparable to the fertile soils of Lithuania were obtained. 2023-2024 the performance of the technology was tested in the desert of Tabernas, Spain. Yields comparable to the fertile soils of Spain were obtained. In Lithuania, this effect lasts up to 5 years. In Spain, this effect lasts up to 4 years [1, 3].