ifoam'96 ifoam'96
Book of Abstracts
11th IFOAM Scientific Conference
11-15 August 1996, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Workshop

Organic Citrus Production by Using EM Technologies in Brazil.W21

Paschoal, Adilson D.1; Sanches, Antonio B.2

1) »Luiz de Queiroz« Agriculture College, Piracicaba, Brazil; 2) Mokiti Okada Foundation, Ipe'na, Brazil.

Brazil is the largest citrus producer in the world. Modern technologies have been commonly used by farmers all across the country, resulting in environmental contamination and low incomes due to low energy efficiency. Nowadays there is a strong tendency from farmers to replace synthetic chemicals for natural occurring ones. To attain this goal a field experiment was settled in 1993 to evaluate EM interactions with soil (chemical and phisical properties), citrus plants (nutrient content in leaves and yield) and with mite populations. Results so far attained indicate EM treated-plot to be significantly higher in soil organic matter content, in levels of major nutrients (Ca, Mg, K) and in C.E.C.. Soil resistance to impact penetrometer tended to be less pronounced in these plots than in the control. Mite populations were higher in plots with EM sprayed to the foliage. Yield of oranges was raised by 17% in plots where EM solutions was sprayed both to the soil and to the foliage.

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Paschoal, A.D.; Homma, S.K.; Jorge, M.J.A.; Nogueira, M.C.S. (1993): Role of effective microorganisms on soil and natural cycling of nutrients in a Brazilian citrus agroecosystem. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Kyusei Nature Farming, Santa Barbara, Calif. USA. (in print)