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Soy byproducts juice the soil for blueberries

Iowa State researchers have discovered a new use for soybean processing leftovers: a soil conditioner for blueberries.

A soybean processing plant can create as much as 5,000 tons of acidic byproducts each year. The solids can be used as landfill cover once they've been chemically neutralized, which can be costly.

For five years agronomist Stan Henning has studied ways to make the byproducts useful in their original acidic form without harming the environment. He looked for crops that would flourish when the untreated byproducts were applied to soils - and found a winner in blueberries.

"We can create a different soil environment very suitable to blueberries and other acid-loving plants. Our yields have been competitive with other areas of blueberry production," Henning said.

Although Iowa has fewer than 50 acres devoted to blueberries, he said using natural soy byproducts as a soil conditioner fits the practices used in expanding niches of organic crop production. His next step, he said, will be to try growing other acid-loving crops, such as lingonberries.