Converted Organics collaborating with URI on organic fertilizer trials
22 May, 2008 LM Direct!BOSTON — Converted Organics Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN), headquartered here, is collaborating with the University of Rhode Island (URI) on organic lawn fertilizer trials to evaluate the performance of various organic fertilizers and aide in the development of best management practices for lawn care. URI scientists will recommend the best management practices as a way to balance homeowners’ desire for high-quality lawns with the need to protect water quality, particularly in the Narragansett Bay, according to a release from Converted Organics.
The organic lawn fertilizer trials will assess the performance of 17 commercial organic fertilizers, including Converted Organics’ product and a new squid-based organic fertilizer product, on Kentucky bluegrass turf. University of Rhode Island professors Rebecca Brown, Ph.D., Chong Lee, Ph.D. and Jose Amador, Ph.D., received a Rhode Island Sea Grant to develop the squid-based fertilizer using waste from the Narragansett Bay calamari fishing industry. The trials will evaluate turf color, turf quality, turf growth, and soil nutrient levels, and compare the organic products to each other, as well as to synthetic controls. Soil microbial biomass and activity will also be analyzed, as organic fertilizers both depend on and generally promote soil microbial populations.
“These new trials are the most recent example of the University of Rhode Island’s 75-year tradition of addressing the lawn care needs of the turf grass industry as well as homeowners,” said Rebecca Brown, Ph.D., Turfgrass Genetics, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Rhode Island
“As a producer of high-quality organic fertilizer and soil amendment products, Converted Organics has a strong commitment to enhancing water quality and preventing water contamination associated with traditional fertilizers,” said Edward J. Gildea, President of Converted Organics Inc. “As a company planning to do business in Rhode Island, we have a particular interest in helping to ensure the quality of water in Narragansett Bay.”
Converted Organics is planning an organic fertilizer facility in Johnston, RI, the result of an Option-to-Lease agreement executed in January with the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC).
The company plans to sell and distribute its fertilizer products in the retail, turf management, and agribusiness markets. Its fertilizer products will be produced in both a dry pellet and liquid concentrate. Converted Organics' products have been tested in numerous field trials for more than a dozen crops with the result that, on average, the net value of the farmer's crop increased 11-16%, depending on the particular crop and product application. This is due, in part, to the disease suppression characteristics of the product, which reduce or eliminate the need for other costly, often toxic, crop protection applications. Increased use of nitrogen in commercial agriculture and turf grass applications, such as golf courses, has reduced the soil's ability to absorb nitrogen and other nutrients, the release said.
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