How to ensure your soil retains plenty of moisture

George Inyensiko demonstrates how a farmer can apply Prsima around their coffee plant. Photos | Denis Bbosa

What you need to know:

  • Eng George Inyensiko was not making proper inroads at his Kakooge coffee farm in Wakiso District when he sought advice from a Germany company based in China that manufactures Prisma SPA which improves soil quality through water retention and aeration.

To increase farm yields and limit the numerous agribusiness losses, many Uganda farmers are tempted to jump on any new farming technology on the market. Yet, the cardinal principle of successful agribusiness remains researching, getting quality planting materials and keeping up with the global trends.

Eng George Inyensiko was not making proper inroads at his Kakooge coffee farm in Wakiso District when he sought advice from a Germany company based in China that manufactures Prisma SPA which improves soil quality through water retention and aeration. He is now a living testimony and one of the most established coffee farmers in the country and also the sole distributor of the Prisma product in Uganda.

About the product

Prisma SPA (Super polymer absorbent) soil water and nutrient retainer is a macro molecular synthetic polymer material with high water absorption capacity. According to Joachim Birungi, an agronomist Prisma Foods Limited in Kyebando, the Prisma SPA product has a water uptake of up to 400 times its own weight in a very short time by osmosis. That is to say, one kilogramme of the polymer can absorb up to 400 litres of water.

When mixed with soil and watered (by rain or irrigation), it forms water granules that improve soil aeration. Birungi reveals that the Prisma is innocuous and can absorb water and release it time after time to plants.

At the same time, it can absorb fertilisers, pesticides and release them slowly to the plant zone adding to their efficacy. Widely used across most agribusiness ventures, Prisma works as a reservoir and management tool for absorbing, storing and releasing water and nutrition demand to plants. Among other things, Birungi adds, it creates a moist environment around the plant root zone to promote growth and yield.

The technology

“It is one of the trending farming products that every farmer should not miss for its practical use in fruiting and root establishment in entire crop growth. Apart from retaining water, fertiliser nutrients and fungicides, it facilitates the root system to attain rigorous growth of the plant up to harvesting while ensuring uniform fruit formation,” says Birungi.

Worth-noting is that if the Prisma product is used early enough, it can tame flower drop and also give a habitat to fibrous roots to feed in a moist and aerated environment.

Mulching and pruning

The new invention that can work best in tandem with mulching and pruning is mostly recommended for large scale tree (forestry) and coffee farmers plus the proliferating urban farming brigade seeking to maximise profits.

Inyensiko ensures he keeps some space between the stem of a plant and mulch

For urban farmers, most dwelling in short season crops such as cabbages, tomatoes and spinach, Prisma is a must have according Birungi for it avoids soil compaction. It enables all the fertilizers, water and other nutrients to be contained in a farming bucket on your veranda,

“Farmers have used this product for more than 10 years in Uganda. It has no diverse effect on the plants because it does not get into contact with them other than improving the soil aeration,” Birungi emphasised.

More trendy farmers are gradually embracing it mostly those dealing in tree, maize and tomato production since the Prisma can work anywhere in Uganda apart from swampy areas where there is already water.

He says when they bought the first granular substance from Germany weighing bought 200 kilogrammes, they held three separate tests at Makerere University to see if it is suited for all the Ugandan soils and it matched up the test. They now have the main store at Kyebando on the outskirts of Kampala and shops at Container Village in downtown that supply farmers from Masaka, Iganga, Gulu, Mubende and beyond on top of holding frequent farmer seminars about the product.

More merits

The agronomist adds that Prisma can restrain water evaporation, prevent soil erosion, even under severe hot weather conditions which saves up to 70 percent water used during irrigation.

And because it holds the fertilisers just as it holds water, it improves use of nutrient fertilisers the plant needs.

Birungi also notes the product enhances the structure of soil thereby increasing its aeration while also promoting microbe growth and efficient utilization of soil.

Mixing process

• When you mix the granular with water, in 30 minutes after stirring you get a gel that is then used in the trenches dug around the plant. After its usage duration, usually one to two years, the Prisma SPA will finally decompose to carbon dioxide, water, ammonia, potassium ion without any reminder in the soil.

• For starters, the application rate of Prisma depends on the feeding habit of the plants. That is to say, there are heavy feeders ((banana, coffee, oranges and forestry) and light feeders (tomatoes, water melon, cabbages among others).

• The heavy feeders or perennial plants can have a mix of one kilogramme of SPA absorbent into 200 litres of water and then stir for 30 minutes to get the gel.

• After, get the one litre of gel and mix it thoroughly with soil in the planting hole, then plant the seedling. Wait for a shower of rain or irrigate to wet the soil in the planting hole and then plant.

• You can alternatively do a seed-coating when by you saturate the seeds and mix it completely in the measured gel for ten minutes, lay them out and air them, and then sow.

• If not, try the third option of root dripping where you dip the young root plants into the measured gel and plant  it in a standard way. Note, for distant transportation, it is recommended that the dipped roots should be wrapped with a polythene film or bag.

Caution to farmers

Birungi cautiously warns that prospective users must adhere to all the rules of modern agronomic practices if they are to get the value for money from Prisma usage.

He also states that the amount of water and gel required by mature coffee plants maybe higher than that required by just planted seedlings because the latter are already undergoing through many growing processes.

For spacing and hole depth, the experts says that since the roots don’t go beyond the plant canopy or shade, one meter spacing and one feet hole are recommended.

“We advise mulching after irrigating for that the roots get water. If you apply organic fertilisers, mix it with equal measure with the product to get good value, if you use inorganic fertilisers, add another layer before planting the seed. The product has been a game changer to farmers. Using it in dry spell requires irrigation but remember it can’t help after your plantation is experiencing a flower drop and therefore you must apply it on onset,” Birungi asserted.

Key fact

After ages of all forms of agribusiness on our land, it is that time farmers upgraded from the traditional agronomic practices of pruning and mulching to other modern methods that can add value to the soils.

Prisma SPA is the latest product on market with particular emphasis to work as a soil water nutrient retainer which is timely in the extended dry season in Uganda.

Prisma works alongside irrigation and rain but looks tailor-made to meet the challenges posed to large scale and urban farmers.