Back A. Ive
Agricultural Research Technologies, Hants, United Kingdom
Abstract
The organic and inorganic agricultural sectors are inundated with microbial
products that carry out specific functions. Amongst these, the use of nitrogen
fixing bacteria has been known for a long period of time, and they are
used extensively in organic and inorganic agriculture. There are other
microbial products that are applied once a season to provide the nitrogen
demand of crops. These are free of harmful organisms, do no pose any harm
to the environment and generally are less expensive than conventional chemical
fertilizers. Effective Micro-organisms offer a wide range of prospects
in organic agriculture. These range from better utilization of organic
matter, easy and rapid composting to environmental development. The solutions
of EM are non toxic and are made from microbes found in all ecosystems.
Thus the combination of EM and compounds that increase nitrogen availability
to crops could develop synergistic effects to enhance the efficacy of both
products. This combination would also offer a quality and a more versatile
product. The presentation discusses the potential of combining EM with
other bacterial products for both conventional and organic agriculture
in Europe.