Jan. 15, 2009 -- Scientists are exploring an Earth-friendly way to use all that hair that piles up on salon floors -- as fertilizer. A new study adds hair to a growing list of waste products that can boost crop growth. The list already includes cow manure, sewage sludge, and sheep wool. "We concluded that human hair can release a sufficient amount of nutrients to support crops," said agricultural scientist Valtcho Zeliazkov of Mississippi State University in Verona. "This is a waste material with clear benefits for producers and the environment." The idea is not entirely new. In fact, hair-based fertilizer is already commercially available. A Florida-based company called SmartGrow, for one, sells hair-containing mats that gardeners place beneath or on top of their plants. Related Content: Get the Latest in Science and Tech News From Discovery HowStuffWorks.com: Is Fertilizer Bad for My Lawn? Video: Human Hair "Mats" Clean Oil Spills The company claims the mats add nutrients, hold in moisture, and battle weeds, while making chemicals unnecessary. Its Web site showcases a series of photographs depicting lush, healthy plants grown with the product and wimpy, wilted ones grown without it. Zeliazkov wanted to see whether it really worked. He and colleagues began by growing 48 lettuce seeds and 48 wormwood seeds in individual pots in a greenhouse. Into the soil of each pot, the scientists added either a quarter-sized cube of hair waste (in varying concentrations), a controlled-release fertilizer, a water-soluble fertilizer, or no treatment at all. With hair treatments, results showed, the plants grew better than with no treatments at all. But chemical fertilizers did best. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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