EM will help the decomposition process of organic materials, and during fermentation will produce normally unavailable organic acids, such as lactic acid, acetic acid, amino acid, malic acid and bioactive substances and vitamins.
A key ingredient in this process is organic matter which is supplied by pasture residuals, (dead matter) recycling crop residues, green manures and animal manure. In addition, this process leads to increased humus in the soil.
The benefits of organic matter are many fold. Water is an increasingly scarce resource and it is so much more effective to store water in humus (which holds its own weight in moisture) than in dams where evaporation is massive and there is a significant carbon footprint in delivering the water to the crop. Good humus levels are the manifestation of a healthy microbial workforce. In the ultimate example of “give and you shall receive”, the plant produces glucose via photosynthesis and gives away 30% of its total production to the army surrounding the roots. It is these invisible workers who fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, solubilise locked up phosphate in our soils and protect the crop from disease. These creatures deliver minerals to the plant and they exude an ongoing supply of plant growth hormones in return for the sugars the plant roots provide them.
Supporting Information
Effects of Several Effective Microorganisms (EM) on the Growth of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa)
