Overview of the Humic Amendments Session: Current and Future Challenges for the Industry and Researchers.

In this session, presenters have described the field efficacy of humic products in promoting crop growth, at least for some situations.  Can these products play a larger role in mainstream production agriculture?  Challenges remain, and they can be met only with a more systematic approach than has been the dialogue to date between humic supporters and detractors.  Success stories should be reconciled with the failures.  Which factors determine whether a humic product will improve plant growth, to what extent, when and where?  Can we identify the causal agents in humic products that promote plant growth?  Could this knowledge lead to better prediction of product efficacy and to enhanced quality control in the humic industry, including testing of individual batches?  Government regulators need a standardized procedure for verifying the humic and fulvic contents of commercial products. Can industry and researchers organize themselves to resolve these issues?  We call for more interaction between the humic industry and researchers from a range of disciplines.