I am very reluctant to make a statement about what we SHOULD trap. I simply do not have the equipment and time to really make an analysis of IMO micro-organisms. What is sure that we should avoid trapping aggressive decomposers producing antibiotics and mykotoxins.

From a rhizosphere point of view it is sure that we are certainly not trapping those guys (alone) with oats and rice. Then it is probably better to transfer root material directly. The problem is that we so often get trapped in a mindset and then miss so many opportunities. So the basic idea of soil inoculants is to put in what is missing and to cut off populations that are already in excess or clearly pathogenic if reaching a critical density.

So, thinking of a dead soil – better some life than nothing. A bacterial/archeal inoculant is nice. Plus if there still is a sporebank in the soil you do not know what can be reactivated!

The IMO concept seems to trap fast growing fungi that are not toxin producing decomposers. So very likely often a zygomycetes fraction. But Ascomycetes can be pretty quick too and there is a bunch of other Speedies! I would not make a bet that there is mykorrhizal fungi coming to feast on rice. If it were chitin as bait, different thing.

This furry, very soft mycelium with single large black spores give Zygomycetes away. I have no clue what the osmotic shock with the sugar does to these guys. Probably kill a large fraction. Still you have messengers, genetic material and the big unknown in the material. So the method can work despite killing the organism as such (if e.g. it does not have the opportunity to sporulate as we have not been a bit slow to collect the trap and we are a bit too eager working in the sugar).

((Nobody (?) explored the effect of the intention alone in a scientific framework. The willingness to care about your soil life. Look at this Emoto rice jar trial – the best is to add a third sample (one that you care for, one that you insult and one that you ignore and withdraw from – the third one is the most fun). If we are in a micro-world the effect of water clustering/superstructures will be immense. If we can cope with the idea that our mind can interfere with that, this act of care alone will be beneficial. I had the best traps whith an attitude of “let´s see” and something looking like carelessness. Imagine, I have cucumbers/eggplant set to cure for seed saving and forgot them on the shelf. They completely drid out. 98% of water that did not rot but evaporate. Try that with supermarket stuff and you will see that you can not forget it…))

If there is fungi, bacteria travel on them and these can be pretty hardy against osmotic stress. Yeasts can deal with osmotic shocks quite well too. They are completely underappreciated in soil functioning.

Exudation: please go back to the course ;-). Happy, healthy perennials, esp. grasses/bamboo and woody perennials before entering reproduction and after reproduction.

Compaction leads to more exudation, but this is not the type that we want here!

The second trap looks very OK.

Best H