Living Water and Potatoes: Harnessing the Microbiome for Healthier Soils and Harvests by Micro Dosing

Potatoes are a cornerstone crop for farmers across the globe. But as every grower knows, they’re also highly vulnerable to soil-borne diseases that quietly reduce both yield and quality. One of the most stubborn and costly challenges is black dot, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum coccodes.

Black dot doesn’t always announce itself dramatically in the field. Often, it shows up later, speckling tubers, weakening plants, or leaving harvests less marketable. Research has shown that under the right conditions, black dots can cut yields by up to 30%. Once it takes hold in a field, it can persist for years, making management extremely difficult.

What We Saw in the Field

That’s why I was struck by what we observed in our recent Living Water potato trials. Not only were the plants visibly more vigorous and uniform, but when we dug up tubers, they came out of the soil completely clean, with no black dot at all.

For growers, that’s more than a curiosity. Clean tubers mean less waste, stronger returns at market, and healthier soil moving forward. It’s the kind of outcome that matters at the field level and the business level.

The Biology at Work

So what’s happening beneath the soil surface? The Living Water system works by continuously introducing a consortium of beneficial microbes into the irrigation stream. This means every watering event becomes more than just hydration; it’s also inoculation.

The microbial blend includes:

• Bacillus: species are prolific producers of antimicrobial compounds that suppress pathogens.

• Paenibacillus: nitrogen fixers that help unlock plant nutrition and strengthen root systems.

• Trichoderma: fungi known for competing with soil-borne pathogens and colonizing the rhizosphere.

• Glomus: (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi), which expand root surface area, improving water and nutrient uptake while building plant resilience.

When these microbes are applied consistently, they shift the soil ecosystem toward a suppressive state. In simple terms, beneficial microbes occupy the niches that pathogens like black dot would otherwise exploit. At the same time, they stimulate root physiology, enhance nutrient cycling, and help plants handle stress more effectively.

Why It Matters for Growers

From a grower’s perspective, this approach checks two boxes that are usually hard to balance:

1. Protecting yield and quality by suppressing disease pressure.

2. Improving soil health long-term by working with biology instead of relying solely on chemistry.

That’s important because disease management in potatoes has often depended on rotations, fumigants, or fungicides, all of which have limitations, costs, and trade-offs. Living Water offers a path that integrates directly into existing irrigation, making it simple and practical for growers to adopt.

Looking Forward

As agriculture faces increasing pressure from soil fatigue, climate variability, and disease cycles, the path forward will depend on biological solutions that strengthen the soil microbiome. These potato results are a glimpse of what’s possible when we treat the soil not as a medium, but as a living ecosystem.

For me, the most powerful part wasn’t just the science, it was pulling potatoes from the ground and seeing them free of black dot. That’s not just data, that’s something any farmer can recognize instantly: healthier soil, healthier plants, and a better harvest.

Inoculate. Stimulate. Regenerate. Every time you irrigate!