How to boost soil vitality

Researchers have termed the use of mineral fertilisers an inappropriate cultivation practise that is the main cause of soil degradation.

The high cost of these fertilisers is becoming a burden for local farmers, but now researchers from various institutions have come up with organic fertilisers from the Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSF).

Egerton University is one of the organisations working on developing new technologies to combat global warming-related climate change.

The school has 86 ongoing research projects, with the latest being the management of waste to produce organic fertiliser through BSF.

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A group of PhD learners from the institution came up with the idea after noticing the school as leading in production of agricultural waste.

Charity Kelsey, a PhD student at Egerton, explains that organic fertiliser improves soil microbial activities.

She added that it also provides macronutrients necessary for plant growth and supplies secondary nutrients and micronutrients, which play an important role in the uptake and utilisation of macronutrients.

“As students, we came up with a technology for managing our waste using the black soldier fly larvae (BSF), and since it’s an insect, it helped to convert and manage waste at the university,” Kelsey said.

Ms Kelsey says that the insect’s life cycle starts with an egg, larva, pupa, and adult, but for their process, the larva stage is used in the research on managing waste.

Larva is the feeding stage of the BSF lifecycle. The pupa is introduced to a love cage, they mate and produce eggs, which are used to maintain the colony. They are then incubated, which gives them larvae, which are a cheap source of proteins.

The adult has a short lifespan of seven days, and the life cycle has a span of 45 days.

“Larval is an alternative source of protein; it feeds on organic waste, and from the waste we get organic fertilisers.” The pupa stage assumes dormancy; it doesn’t eat at all; it awaits the transition to the adult stage, where eggs are collected and maintained in the colony, and we get some to process the feeds,” she explains.

Kelsey added that organic fertilisers are used at the farm, creating a cycle where nothing goes to waste when it comes to agricultural production.

The technology is more like what is in the natural habitat; we encourage farmers to embrace the technology,” Ms Kelsey added.

Mildred Day from Green Comm Innovation Case Nakuru Living Lab, Egerton, says that the lab decomposes, which is an alternative to BSF.

With composting, one can bio-process the organic waste from plants, livestock manure, and market waste through a windrow composting system, which, when processed in bulk, produces organic fertilisers.

“This provides a solution to the environment by disrupting the disposal of waste to landfills by converting it and using it as an alternative fertiliser for farmers, which is cost-effective and climate-smart,” Ms Day says.

Day explained it as a research-based solution that provides the farmer with both soil health and high productivity.

The lab gas produces organic fertilisers packaged in 50kg and 25kg bags, which help the farmer transition from using conventional fertilisers to organic, with the accompaniment of processed organic foliar for crop management and biopesticide.

A farmer uses 100 ml of foliar fertiliser diluted with 20 litres of water, then sprays the plant to increase the uptake of the nutrients from the fertiliser.

The plant will also grow strong and healthy before maturity, and the same is applied to achieve high productivity.

She advises farmers to be consistent when applying foliar for the rehabilitation of the soil and high production.

“In organic fertilisers, we advise farmers to prevent and not wait for an infestation to enable them to get high production,” she says.

Organic pesticides help the plant grow healthier, which is safe for human consumption and the environment, reducing soil pollution.

Dr Caleb Otieno, a horticulture lecturer at Egerton, said that organic crop production was the way to go with chemicals found in fertilisers and pesticides associated with being the cause of lifestyle diseases.

“For one to get a healthy crop, you need a healthy soil where microorganisms and organic matter are in abundance, which can create a sufficient environment for the production,” he said.

Organic crops are expensive due to their state of health. With BSF, organic fertilisers make the microorganisms alive, including nitrogen fixers and other microorganisms like earthworms that aerate the soil. When a plant is growing, the roots need to grow deeper for nutrients, which can be accomplished by adding manure or any other organic soil. Organic crop production is the best and has high demand in the market; their prices are high.