Arable Farming
As in most other farming situations, the applications in arable farming are centered around improving your biggest asset - your soil. So the aim is to get biological activity cranked up. That means effective organic matter recycling, to build humus - the food for your soil and plants, Improvements in nitrogen fixation, greater micorrhyzal activity, leading to more effective nutrient availability. In addition, if short term crops are your main activity, these are generally high value and come under periods of disease and pest pressures during the growing phase. During these periods EM is targeted as a foliar application to crops, this has 2 main functions, firstly it creates better growing conditions and leads to a stronger healthier plant. Secondly it provides competitive exclusion, which means that it out-competes pathogens for space, by inoculating the leaf surfaces with beneficial microbes.
Therefore the target is your crops and soils. EM can be applied directly with a sprayer or injected through an irrigator.
Key applications for Arable farming
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On crops, apply 20 litres EM-A per ha with as much water as possible, target key periods such as primary cultivation (stubble incorporation), pre-plant and critical growth stages( tillering, reproductive development, flowering, ripening). Crops can be treated frequently during the season with an accumulative effect apparent.
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Crops treated with EM during the growing phase and ripening phase have less storage problems, such as rots etc.
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Combine with fertilizer applications to increase efficacy of applications (10-20 litres EM-A/ha
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Fermented plant extract (FPE) similar to a fresh herb tea, can be made and is used during periods of high disease pressure.
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EM5 is another preparation made using EM, vinegar and alcohol, and is useful as a insect repellent
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Applying EM-A through your irrigator is a very effective way of getting the microbes into the soil
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Combine the application of EM-A with weeding operations, so that the dying weeds can be broken down rapidly.
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When coating vegetable seeds, EM-A can be added at 1:1000 (EM:water) to the coating recipe, to enhance germination and seedling growth.
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Also see publication ref. "Innovative use and adaption of a microbal technology (EM) for large scale vegetable, arable and stock production on an organic farm in Canterbury, New Zealand."
