Kisan Probiotic Shakti range for Fertility Management in Organic Agriculture

The organic agriculture being cultivation without the use of chemicals, requires a completely new set of options for inputs in agriculture. Morarka Foundation beginning with vermiculture technology development has enjoyed significant advantages in this field

In its efforts to promote organic agriculture, the Foundation has developed the know-how for the production of inputs permitted as per international standards. Many of them have been promoted for on-farm production while few are being produced in bulk through entrepreneurs.

In addition to Vermicast, Enriched Vermicast and many other products for foliar applications have also been developed and are being used extensively.

In our journey back to Nature, we began explorations for developing microbe-assisted agriculture. It led to the understanding that biological synthesis of complex chemical compounds present in naturally occurring materials and minerals can produce all plant hormones.

With suitable fortification and strengthening, biological materials can be used to meet the complete nutrient requirement of the plants under all cropping systems. This led to the development of 'Kisan Probiotic Shakti': a microbe based line of fertility management probiotic solutions that enhance and accelerate the assimilation of nutrients by the plants.

The underlying scientific principle of Kisan Probiotic Shakti is that when natural minerals are fermented under controlled conditions, metabolites are produced. The fermentation process makes the minerals available to the plants as free ions which can be directly assimilated by the plants.

Natural Fertility Management Products :

• FS-01: This is the first general purpose foliar spray. This provides all the nutrients for field crops. It increases plant respiration and accelerates photosynthesis. Foliar application also promotes growth of roots and the ability to absorb plant nutrients from the soil.
  
  FS-01 can also be utilized for soil application to work as an excellent soil conditioner. It helps in improving soil texture, controlling soil pH and to check the alkalinity in soil. FS-01 has also been extensively promoted to improve the quality of farm yard manures. The application of FS-01 is generally recommended in combination with other organic fertility management inputs.



• FS-02: This is a purpose specific probiotic foliar spray. It improves plant’s growth. It is applied at critical stages like plantlet establishment and for enhanced branching of plants and trees. It penetrates the cellular membrane to stimulate the plant enzymes and physiological processes. The application of FS 02 is recommended as an additional treatment. Generally 5 litres of FS 02 is diluted in 500 litres of water for application in one hectare cultivated area of field crops.



• FS-03: An excellent foliar spray with very high cationic exchange capacity. It accelerates cellular division and hence increases vegetative growth. It stimulates the plant to sprout earlier and grow more orderly and stronger after seasonal dormancy. It also helps in improved flowering. FS-03 is utilized @ 5 litres diluted in 500 litres of water for application in one hectare cultivated area.



• FS-04: The enhanced enzymatic activities strengthen plant defence mechanisms at the time of fruiting to resist disease. FS04 provides all macro and micro nutrients to reduce the falling off of fruits. It improves brix levels of plants that make fruits brighter, juicier and tastier that enhancing its commodity value in the market.

Note: The Kisan Probiotic Fertilizers are generally recommended as additional nutrients. They can also be used in conjunction with other biological as well as chemical fertility management inputs.

Kisan Probiotic Pratirodh range for Pest Management in Organic Agriculture

Harmonious coexistence of all living creatures has been the cornerstone for sustaining life on Earth. This ecological truth has been our motivation for developing 'Kisan Probiotic Pratirodh': a package of pest management solutions which are in harmony with nature and its processes.

More preventive than curative in their application and action, and aimed at strengthening the plant's biological processes, they are called probiotic. They strengthen the natural defense mechanism of the plants, improve the micro environment of the plant by restoring natural equilibrium and thus ward off pest attack.

Kisan Probiotic Pratirodh consists of pesticidal extracts from plant parts, non chemical and naturally occurring pesticidal materials such as silica, vinegar; soap formulations; diatomaceous earth and many others which increase the effectiveness of botanical extracts. Their effectiveness can be further improved with intercropping, crop diversification, trap crop etc.

Rigorous laboratory experiments and field trials over ten years have resulted in the development of these probiotic foliar sprays which harness the predatory and antagonistic characteristics of naturally occurring compounds, through an accelerated process of production.

Presently, 127 plant's species having special pesticidal properties have been identified and broad spectrum long acting potent combinations have been developed. The extraction processes have been simplified and made low cost. As a result, even though the number of sprays required is higher than for chemical pesticides, the overall costs work out to one-third of the most inexpensive chemical controls. Far superior to chemical pesticides in their efficacy, their low cost is a bonus to the farmers.

It would be worthwhile to mention here that as these solutions are preventive, the concept of ETL (Economic Threshold Level) coined by chemical pest manufacturing companies to market their products is rendered redundant.

For field crops, cereals, pulses and oilseeds solutions have been developed for 90% of the pest problems being faced by farmers in tropical countries. In the category of cash crops such as cotton, sugarcane, banana, soybean etc. Kisan Probiotic Pratirodh can handle 70% of the pest problems. Similarly, the pest management problems of seasonal vegetables & fruits, and orchards can be handled to the extent of 70%. For plantations of tea, coffee, rubber, vanilla, cashew, cardamom etc. 60-70% of the pest problems can be handled effectively.

Simultaneously with promoting Kisan Probiotic Pratirodh among the farmers, on the cards are plans to improve their efficacy, upgrade extraction methods to enhance their potency, develop the pesticidal ingredients in their pure form for making it available to the farmers alongwith the formulae for their combination into probiotic solutions.

• P001: This is the first general probiotic application. This probiotic spray gives immediate contact and knock-down action, followed by systemic action for long duration. It also helps in developing pest resistance abilities of the plants. P001 is applied as foliar spray. The general dose for most crops is 5 litres of P001 mixed in 500 litres of water for spray in one hectare cultivated area.



• P002: This probiotic application enables control of larvae stage of insects/pests. The systemic action provides the much needed preventive action against potential damages. It also controls the reproductive growth of harmful insects/pests for all crops. P002 is applied as foliar spray to also act as a repellent/antifeedent. The 5 litres of active ingredient of P002 is mixed in 500 litres of water for spraying the crops in one hectare area. If required second spray at 7-10 days interval may be done.



• P003: This probiotic application enables the control of sucking insects in crops. The extent of control by immediate action of P003 is in the range of 50 100 percent. P003 is applied as a foliar spray at 15 days interval. The 5 litres of active ingredient of P003 is mixed in 500 litres of water for spraying the crops in one hectare area.



• P004: The broad spectrum nature of this probiotic spray provides it effective solution against large number of harmful and disease causing micro organisms. It helps in the control of mites, blights, rots, blasts, ticks and anthracnose, etc. This probiotic application also prevents recurrence of fungus and virus attacks. P004 is applied as a foliar spray at 15 days interval. The 5 litres of active ingredient of P004 is mixed in 500 litres of water for spraying the crops in one hectare area.



• P005: This probiotic application has been made especially for control of soil borne diseases, like root-rot, collar-rot, soil-fungus, nematodes and soil insects/pests. This probiotic also helps in the control of termites. In combination with P004 this works as an excellent seed treatment material. P005 is generally applied in soil before sowing or during crop stand alongwith irrigation water. The 5 litres of active ingredient is required for application in one hectare area mixed in soil or applied through irrigation channel.

Precautions for Use:

• Open the bottle just before using the probiotic solution.
• Shake well before opening the bottle.
• Complete bottle of probiotic solution should be used at one time only.
• Avoid bright sunlight at the time of spray of probiotic solutions.
• Do not mix probiotic solutions with any chemicals.
• Probiotic solutions can be mixed together, if required to save the labour cost.

Compatibility:

• The Probiotic sprays can be used as alternative to conventional pesticides under normal spraying schedules or can be used in combination to provide effective control.
• The excellent compatibility of different probiotic sprays can produce combined effect as insecticides, acaricides and fungicides.

Toxicity and Residues:

• Probiotic sprays do not create any residue problem as their active principles are completely biodegradable. Being hundred percent natural they do not create any environmental pollution problems.
• They are also harmless to non-targeted organisms, which are beneficial to agriculture.

Special Benefits of Probiotics:

• No toxic residue on food stuff; hence most appropriate for organic agriculture.
• No harm to natural predators and parasites of pests and pollinators.
• No resistance to pests.
• Protects crops from recurrence of pest attacks.
• Totally biodegradable.
• Ideal for Integrated Pest Management and Integrated Disease Management Programme.
• No ecological or environmental problems.

Organic Seeds and Planting Materials

Organic standards promote on-farm production of inputs but it is not always possible for all the farmers to produce all inputs. They may be able to produce a few or majority but are still required to buy some of the inputs of requisite quality and certification from private vendors.

In India organic production has just begun. On one hand the country enjoys the advantages of "traditional know-how", on other hand it has other disadvantages of "not so well developed private sector players in organic input businesses", with the result, it has been becoming are increasingly bigger constraint.

To meet this gap Morarka Foundation had launched a major initiative way back in 2001 itself. With continuous efforts in this direction, in two major areas of fertility and pest management reasonable successes have also been achieved. In case of "Seeds and Planting Materials" work has begun since only last three years and now we have a reasonable production of certified organic seeds and planting materials.

We have two major programmes for developing organic seeds production. In one programme, farmers are identified and encouraged to cultivate crops with traditional varieties under expert guidance to produce high quality seeds.

In second programme, tie-ups have been established to take up certified seed production through Breeder Seed Procurement. Once again farmers are selected to take up seed production as per internationally accepted standards.