• Submitted by: admin
• Science and Technology
• 11 / 06 / 2006

As part of a nationwide effort to expand the use of organic fertilizers in agriculture, Cuba has turned out nearly 5,000,000 tons of worm humus from January through October of this year.

A similar figure was obtained last year by the same time period; while by the end of 2005, the island produced a record seven million tons of that fertilizer.

Made from earthworm droppings through the artificial growing of nematodes, humus is considered to be the best organic fertilizer as it helps to reach high yields in the growth of vegetables, tobacco, flowers, and other types of plants.

Speaking to the CNA news service, Jorge Ferran, head of the department of soils at the National Biology Institute, said this year the country has also registered positive results in the production and collection of other organic matter useful for agriculture.

Ferran noted that close to 11,000,000 tons of compost, manure, and sugarcane bagasse have been gathered so far this year. That result allows specialists to foresee 2006 concluding with some 15,000,000 tons of these matters"a similar figure to the record set in 2005.

In addition to the increasing use of draft animals, the biological fight against plagues and diseases, as well as other agro-ecological measures, and the use of organic fertilizers is decisive Cubas effort to promote sustainable agriculture without damaging the environment.

Source: Periodico26.cu