The Technology

Mikro-Tek’s core technology is based on an association between a plant’s roots and naturally occurring beneficial microbes called mycorrhizal funginatural soil microbes that improve the health and growth rates of plants. In nature, healthy soils contain these beneficial organisms, but they are deficient in eroded, heavily used and degraded soils. Industrial disturbance to the soil in large-scale agricultural practices, forestry cutovers, or mining activity reduces or destroys these beneficial micro-organisms. The application of the microbes to seedlings prior to planting reduces the need for chemicals such as fertilizers and herbicides and provides increased stress resistance to the seedlings before they are exposed to environmental stresses such as transplant shock, or extremes of temperature and moisture. Mycorrhizal inoculum is produced in Mikro-Tek's facility in Timmins for shipment to project sites anywhere in the world.

Click here to view the full glossary. When a plant forms a mycorrhizal association, it develops a larger, healthier root system, which enables it to absorb more moisture and nutrients from the soil. Read more at:
http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Mycorrhizae

The result is increased plant growth and survival. Any increase in plant growth carries a corresponding increase in carbon sequestrationReduction of net emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) can be accomplished in two ways: either by reducing the rate at which CO2 is added to the atmosphere (e.g. those produced from burning fossil fuels or from clearing and burning forests), or by increasing sequestration the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere (e.g. by storing additional carbon in forests, soils and other carbon sinks). The latter can be accomplished through land management activities including re-vegetation, reforestation and afforestation as well as forest, cropland and grazing land management. Through photosynthesis plants remove carbon dioxide from the air, give off oxygen, and store the carbon as biomass. About one half of the dry weight of plant biomass is carbon, and one tonne of carbon in biomass represents 3.67 tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Click here to view the full glossary.

Through photosynthesis plants remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air, give off oxygen, and store the carbon as biomass. About one half of the dry weight of plant biomass is carbon, and one tonne of carbon in biomass represents 3.67 tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Research has shown that the type and amount of benefit a plant receives depends on the species and strain of associated mycorrhizal fungi. There are literally thousands of species some showing little or no benefit to the plant. Mikro-Tek identifies the species and strains that will provide the most beneficial impact on the health and growth of the targeted plant species. The selected microbes are mass-produced in their biotech facility in Timmins, shipped to the site, and applied in the seedling nursery prior to field planting.

Mikro-Tek has a number of mycorrhizal inoculant products registered under the Fertilizers Act of Agriculture Canada’s Canadian Food and Inspection Agency (CFIA). CFIA registration is required in order to sell and/or use a biological inoculant product in Canada and Mikro-Tek was one of the first to register an endo-mycorrhizal product (used for broad-leafed plants), and is the only company to have ecto-mycorrhizal products registered with CFIA for conifer species.