A team from the Ceres Regional Center for Fruit and Vegetable Innovation in Chile has created a new way to not only help new seedlings grow, but restore degraded soils back to health. The BioNurse returns vitality to the soil by improving conditions for seedlings and exposing them to a mix of nutrients, microbiology and hygroscopic components. It is fabricated with natural fibers and biodegrades after one season. The plants growing from it will be capable of reproducing the same conditions in a natural way and, after two or three seasons, the soil will be productive again. For the BioNurse, the team was inspired by the way that hardy “nurse” plants establish themselves in degraded soils and pave the way for new plant species to grow. With 25% of the world’s soils degraded, this innovation provides a way to grow and protect new plants and ensure that the soil can be regenerated to feed our growing population.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgjRAZusTaY
