Humic preparations and the assessment of their biological activity for certification purposes

Abstract

The diversity of responses of test organisms (higher plants, microalgae, protozoa, crustaceans, bacteria, and mammal cell cultures in vitro) to the action of humates produced industrially from different raw materials was discussed in relation to the urgent problem of the certification of structural and functional properties of commercial humates. It was proposed to include higher plants (for assessing the effect of stimulation) and a set of biotests using test organisms of different trophic levels (for determining toxic concentrations) in the program of assessing the biological activity of humic preparations by laboratory testing methods.