Home grown fertiliser for the soil

What you need to know:

  • With declining soil fertility and low productivity, farmers would need appropriate technology to enable them overcome such challenges, writes Ebber Aturinde

Being a predominantly agricultural country, Uganda has been falling behind in production and the lack of affordable fertilisers compounds the situation.

Against this backdrop, Samuel Kamya, a 27-year-old biochemistry graduate from Makerere University and incubatee at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) developed a bio-organic fertiliser.

“I have friends who are interested in farming. I just like solving problems and if there’s technology that can solve the problem, I will attempt to use that technology to solve the problem,” he said about his inspiration to seek a solution.

The fertiliser contains bacteria specially selected for the purpose and poses no threat to human life and the environment.

It was derived from Rhizosphere bacteria in limited proportions after an extensive study.

The devil is in the details of the exact proportions and the specifics about his process of deriving the fertiliser.
It also promotes growth hormones in the plant making the plant grow faster than it usually does.

The fertiliser can also double as a pesticide as stifles the growth of moulds and fungi on the plants.

The bacterial agent also hinders pests like aphids and caterpillars from destroying the plant.

Though still a prototype, it has already gone through rigorous testing on plants and animals and it was found to be effective and safe for both animals and people.
However, Kamya says, it is not advised to be used with other chemical fertilisers.

The reason is that the chemicals may kill the bacteria in the bio-fertiliser and hence render it inactive.
He reveals that the bio-organic fertiliser is only to be applied to the plants once.

As the plant grows, it produces nutrients that the bacteria feed on and the bacteria in turn provide nutrients necessary for the plant to develop.

The relationship between the fertiliser and the plant is a mutually beneficial relationship.

The fertiliser produces bio polymers, which help to retain and absorb water in the soil at a steady pace.

This makes it possible for farmers to grow crops in conditions where there is not a lot of rain. It also helps detoxify the soil, in case the soil has been polluted or if it has high doses of minerals that are not beneficial for the plant growth.

Kamya claims the bacteria will break down these harmful substances in the soil and the by product will be favourable for the plant. From the study of plants’ defense mechanisms against diseases and pests, he incorporated this information in the fertiliser.

So, when in use, it boosts the immune system similar to how a vaccine works in human beings. When the germs attack, the plants will be ready and capable of fighting the disease.

How it works

In order to use this fertiliser, the farmer had to mix the agent with water at a ratio of one millilitre to a litre of water.

Place the seeds in this mixture and allow the seeds to dry then plant the seeds. This will be enough fertiliser for the plant because of the nature of the agent. It contains bacteria, which are obviously living organisms, these bacteria go to work and multiply off of the plants’ by-products and hence the bacteria are dependent on the plants survival.

The relationship between the two is mutually beneficial.
He explains with this example. “If you have waste like chicken droppings, which have a lot of phosphorous, that phosphorous cannot be readily absorbed by the plant. If you mix the chicken droppings with the bio-organic fertiliser, it will act on the chicken droppings and make the phosphorous available for the plants.”

Therefore, the fertiliser modifies the chemical components so that it can easily be used up by the plant.
There is also the ability to trap nitrogen from the air and break it down. The byproduct of this reaction is Ammonium Nitrate, which is an essential nutrient for any plants development.

The innovator believes his bio organic fertiliser will be beneficial to both commercial and subsistence farmers. With it, farmers’ plants will grow quicker and the farmer will be able to grow his plants all year round.