It is of no use to plants if we simply dump dung and other wastes next to the plant. We have to process them properly before plants can make use of these. Microorganisms exist precisely to carry out this task. Archaebacteria are the best such microorganisms. These thrive in anaerobic conditions and are considered to be the earliest microorganisms that came into being in the course of the evolution of life on earth. We could reap good harvests if we make use of these microorganisms in the proper manner. We will not need to use chemical fertilizers al all. This solution is easy to make using a simple method devised by Mr.G.Balakrishnan.

Ingredients: 20 kg dung, 200 liters water, 3 kg jiggery, 100 gms kadukkAi powder, 10 gms adhimadhuram.

• Mix dung, jiggery and water well in a container.
• Add kadukkAi powder to it and mix well.
• Boil the adhimadhuram powder in 250 ml water and let it cool.
• Add the cooled adhimadhuram solution to the above solution.
• Fill the rest of the container with water so that there will be no air left inside and close it air-tight.
• Methane will be formed inside the container. Let the air out of it once in a while by slightly unscrewing the cap for a moment.
• The solutions will be ready in ten days.
• The solution will be light brown in colour and having a pleasant smell.
  

This enhances plant growth. The archaebacteria are directly absorbed by plants as well. Other microorganisms also ingest it. We could use this to grow blue-green algae. Mr.balakrishnan, the expert who invented this, has recorded 15-20% increase in the leaf area. Such an increase in area leads to a corresponding increase in photosynthesis (harvesting of solar energy as Dhabolkar says) and enhances yield.

Usage: Mix a liter of it with ten liters water to spray. Or, for use in irrigation, mix 200-300 liters per acre of this solution with one of the following solutions: (a) 30 to 50 liters concentrated Amudham Solution, (b) 5-20 liters Panchakavya, (c) 5-10 liters coconut-buttermilk /arappu-buttermilk / soap nut-buttermilk solution, (d) 3 liters fish extract (given in 4.7). With this mix the following microorganisms for disease control depending on the prevailing diseases.

• To control deseases which damage the rhizosphere/ rhizomes and to control fussarium wilt, we have to use beneficial fungi like Pseudomonas fluorescens, Trichoderma viridi, Trichoderma harzianum and Bascillus subtillus;
• To control root knot nematodes use Paecilomyces lilacinus;
• To control root grubs use Beauveria brongniartii and Metarhizium .

Note: Farmers have to buy these from outside. To reduce the cost, farmers could buy in small quantities (100-500gms) and increase the population using the archaebacterial solution and these can be mixed at the time of irrigation. (Each of the fungi should be developed in a separate container). We have developed specific solutions for specific crops and diseases. Farmers should select a subset of the above ingredients depending on the crop and the disease.

Let the mixture (of the powders and the archaebacteria solution) ferment for a day before mixing with irrigation water. You may also use each of the above five mixtures one after the other. This is a very good and simple method of enhancing soil health and to increase the population of all beneficial organisms in the soil.