WYALGAE

Results

Lab, greenhouse and field data for Tetradesmus deserticola.

Crop yield and biomass

Greenhouse-scale trials show significant increases in biomass production under droughted conditions in both spring wheat and alfalfa. Field-scale trials at the SAREC extension site show significant increases in corn yields.

Bar chart of spring wheat biomass by treatment
Spring wheat biomass, well-watered and droughted, with and without algae.
Bar chart of alfalfa dry weight by treatment
Alfalfa dry weight, well-watered and droughted.
Bar chart of corn biomass by treatment
Corn biomass at the SAREC extension site: random control, control, 1% algae and 2% algae.

Water

Tetradesmus deserticola reduces soil water loss and increases the rate of water penetration into soils in lab-scale experiments using soils collected from UWyo’s PREC extension site.

Stacked bar chart of water lost from soils over days 3 to 7
Rate of soil desiccation: ml of water lost for control, 1% and 2% algae soils.
Bar chart of water still in apparatus over 60 minutes
Rate of water penetration, treatment times 0 to 60 minutes.
Line chart of cumulative water loss over four days
Cumulative water loss, by treatment.

Nutrient retention

Tetradesmus deserticola increases the retention of key nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate in sandy soils.

Bar charts of nitrate lost and nitrate retained by algae
Nitrate lost, and nitrate retained by algae, with and without fertilizer.
Bar charts of phosphate lost and phosphate retained by algae
Phosphate lost, and phosphate retained by algae, with and without fertilizer.