Food and Fertilizer Technology Center - About

1. Rationale

          The “intensive & chemical-farming” for the past 50 years all over the world have been detrimental to soil health and water quality, leading to an increase in plant diseases and other pest problems. Important soil-borne pathogens include fungi, fungi-like organisms, bacteria as well as viruses and plant parasitic nematode. Soil-borne diseases are one of the major factors contributing to low yields of agro- products. Most soil-borne pathogens are difficult to control by conventional strategies such as the use of resistant cultivars and synthetic pesticides. Soil application of fungicides is expensive and deleterious to non-target microflora. Biological control has become a critical component of plant disease management and it is a practical and safe approach in various crops. Bio-protectants provide a unique opportunity for crop protection, since they grow, proliferate, colonize and protect the newly-formed plant parts to which they were not initially applied. Most soil-borne plant pathogens causing root and foot rots in older plants are usually less prevalent in organic farm than in conventional/chemical farms.

          Organic farming is gaining worldwide acceptance and is becoming a major tool for sustaining the quality of degraded soils. There is considerable interest in substituting biologically-based inputs for chemicals to manage plant diseases because of concerns over environmental or human health. One such approach is to apply organic amendments to soils to suppress soil-borne diseases. The use of bio-agents, such as bio-fertilizers or bio-pesticides is an integral part of organic farming, especially in vegetable cultivation. The nature of the organic amendments, the microorganisms present, the properties of the soil, and environmental conditions are key factors that can influence the populations of soil-borne plant pathogens and the crop to be protected. Using organic amendments, antagonistic microorganisms and phyto-chemicals in controlling soil-borne root infecting fungi offers an alternate strategy to the prevalent use of synthetic pesticides.
 

2. Objectives

• Review current status/update of soil-borne diseases problem and management/control strategies of soil-borne diseases in ASPAC countries.
• Explore promising-sources of microorganism and common organic materials and its potential & demand of utilization/adoption.
• Share the potential innovative technologies which can be adopted for soil-borne disease control and organic farming.

• Conduct more studies and research in IPM to ensure long-lasting sustainability in crop production.
• Employ IPM measures that have been proven to reduce the number of pesticide used, and are more efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly.
• Diagnose and assess the disease occurrence potential of crops before planting them in the field and implement the appropriate control measures based on the potential degree using a decision-making system.
• Study and make the necessary adoption of critical knowledge in crop disease management for sustainable agriculture, the aim of which is to disrupt the disease components at every stage of crop growth.
• Train technical leaders or extension workers who can explain to the farmers the science of using bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides and their corresponding benefits.
• Do further studies and research on the mechanism of inoculating beneficial microbes at different concentrations and their effects.
• Inculcate the perspective of viewing soil fertility as a complex system with their intrinsic biological, physical, and chemical properties.
• Teach farmers to provide nutrition not only for their plants but also to the biological agents. Giving the proper nutrients to both plants and bio-agents can help enhance stability, growth and survival.

Group photo