BAR TODAY || Official Quarterly Publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Enhance the vitality of roots with Vital N™
by Mary Charlotte O. Fresco

January-March 2002
Volume 4 No. 1

Roots are said to be the life-giving part of plants. Aside from being a support structure, roots have a system of absorption responsible for water, soil minerals, and nutrients uptake. Roots do not only support plant life, they also nourish the soil by pumping carbon to feed soil organisms, thus, contributing to soil organic fertility.

However, like any other living organisms, roots are susceptible to various diseases and infections normally caused by fungi, bacteria and other soil-borne pathogens. Infected roots usually cause the plants to wilt and produce unhealthy fruits.

Irregular and small-sized bulbs without Vital N™

In addressing these 'deep-rooted' problems, Vital N™, a technology that helps plants revitalize their root system has been introduced.

What is Vital N™?
Vital N™ is a powder formulation that induces extensive growth in roots of crops like corn, rice, banana, onion, etc. It contains Azospirillium, a beneficial bacterium that enhances root development and helps the plant increase its soil nutrients uptake and more importantly, produce plant growth substances such as indole3-acetic acid (IAA). Likewise, Vital N™ helps strengthen the roots, thus protect the roots from the invasion of soil-borne pathogens that cause diseases and infections.

Onions treated with Vital N™ produced matured and disease-free bulbs

With the increased root surface, more root hairs are now capable of absorbing nutrients and water from the soil. As a result, the fertility and stability of soil is sustained, allowing farmers to cut down their inorganic fertilizer application by more than one-half. Subsequently, the yield is projected to increase by 15%.

The effect of Vital N™ in crop maturity was also tested in a case study conducted among farmers in Nueva Ecija. Researchers of the study were able to determine the comparative advantage of Vital N™ application in relation to crop maturity. They found that onions infected with dreaded fungal disease such as soft rot were harvested too early, resulting to irregular and small-sized bulbs. Their actual yield was estimated at only 52 tons/ha. However, onions treated with Vital N produced matured and disease-free bulbs, which in turn produced a net yield of 67 tons/ha. It was calculated that approximately the farmers earned P50,000 more with Vital N™.

Farmers can easily adopt Vital N TM because it is cheap and simple to use. A pack, which only costs P250, is enough to treat 80 kg of seeds of rice and corn or 2,500 plantlets of banana.

How to apply Vital N™?
Vital N™ can be directly mixed with dry or moistened seeds. Rooted seedlings can also be dipped in Vital N-formulated solution before transplanting in the field.

When mixing and applying Vital N™ in seeds, it is recommended to use a stout stick. Likewise, when handling seeds treated with Vital N™, it is important to protect the hands by wrapping them with a plastic bag or wearing gloves.

Researchers added that there is no known toxicity or allergic reaction to Azospirillum. Likewise, it has no adverse effect on the environment since it is a naturally occurring soil organism.

Farmers can easily adopt Vital N™ because it is cheap and simple to use. A pack, which only costs P250, is enough to treat 80 kg of seeds of rice and corn or 2, 500 plantlets of banana. Since the application of commercial fertilizer is reduced, a farmer can save about P1,600 per hectare on fertilizer application.

The study on Vital N™ application was developed and conducted by Dr. Saturnina Halos, senior program development specialist at the Bureau of Agricultural Research, with partial support fund from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)

Vital N™ was recently approved by the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) for nationwide testing.

For more information, please contact Dr. Saturnina Halos, ARNICHEM, 2027 Pleasant Village, College, Laguna 4031 at Tel No. (049) 536-3224.