Microbial-based fertilizer becoming popular

DAVAO CITY – And now, there are 32 of them.

Like mushrooms after a rainy night, mixing plants of Bio-N, a microbial-based fertilizer, are now sprouting in strategic places in the country.

As of last count, there are now 32 Bio-N mixing plants across the country accredited by the UP Los Baños-National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (UPLB-BIOTECH) and the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM).Of these, 22 are fully operational: 13 in Luzon, four in the Visayas, and five in Mindanao.

Those in Luzon are situated in Bacnotan, La Union; Malasiqui, Pangasinan; Iguig, Cagayan; Ilagan, Isabela; Alfonso Lista, Ifugao; Luna, Apayao; Capas, Tarlac; Lubao, Pampanga; Naujan, Mindoro Oriental; Sablayan, Mindoro Occidental; Ligao, Albay; Tigaon, Camarines Sur; and Masbate, Masbate.

In the Visayas, the Bio-N mixing plants are in Cauyan, Negros Occidental; Panay, Capiz; Toledo City, Cebu; and Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.

Sites of the mixing plants in Mindanao are Trendo, Agusan del Sur; Tagum, Davao Oriental; Davao City; Dimingag, Zamboanga del Sur; and Zamboanga Sibugay.

The others already established will also start operation soon.

The Bio-N technology was developed by Los Baños scientist Dr. Mercedes Garcia under a UPLB-BIOTECH research program.

DA-BAR has provided funds to promote Bio-N technology transfer, seminar, and training activities.

BIOTECH and the Technology Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) have already teamed up for the technology’s commercialization. Others supporting the project are the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and the Marcos Foundation.

UPLB-BIOTECH pointed out that Bio-N is a "breakthrough technology" that is mainly composed of microorganisms (bacteria) isolated from the roots of talahib, a grass relative of sugarcane that can convert the nitrogen gas into available form to sustain the nitrogen requirements of host plants.

Bio-N, Dr. Garcia once told this writer, comes in powder form in a handy 200-gram packet, which is meant for either seed inoculation, direct broadcasting over seeds, or mixed with water as root dip.

Bio-N enhances shoot growth and root development, improves yield of host plants, replaces 30-50 percent of the total amount of nitrogen requirement, makes plants resistant to drought and pests, reduces incidences of rice tungro and corn ear-worm attack, and increases yield and milling recovery of rice.

In our most recent trip to Davao City, we learned that Bio-N continues to gain adherents because it cuts down more than one-half of fertilizer (particularly nitrogen) application.

"When they (farmers) follow their usual fertilization practice, they used to incur P4,000/ha but with the use of Bio-N, they only invest P2,000/ha," DA-11 corn on-farm research project leader Noel Estellena was quoted as saying by Uhay, the official publication of DA-Southern Mindanao. – RAF