By By Julio P. Yap Jr.
While many parts of the Philippines, particularly the agricultural areas, are still reeling from the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has announced that the country has started shifting from the dry to the wet or rainy season.
A farmer in San Ildefonso, Bulacan proudly shows to Global Green Organic Fertilizer, Inc. general manager Ricky Sun his fruitful ampalaya plantation where the organic fertilizer was used.
It also warned that the country should start bracing for the La Niña phenomenon, which is expected to gradually develop starting August.
At present, most parts of the country are still experiencing the effects of El Niño that triggered drought in many areas, directly affecting the farmers. But when La Niña starts, these farmers will have to face the threat of more weather disturbances, which will again affect their only source of livelihood.
Damage to agricultural crops due to weather disturbances can be prevented or minimized
with the proper application of farm inputs, like organic fertilizers and related products. There is an organic foliar fertilizer which can help them cope with changing weather patterns. The product has already helped many farmers maintain the health of their crops even during drought and flooding.
A multi-awarded farmer from Bergoña in Bintawan Sur, Villa Verde, Nueva Vizcaya used a foliar fertilizer to save his corn plantation from the drought which hit many parts of Region 2 late last year. According to farmer Joel A. Cabanayan, if he did not use the product, his corn plantation would have been severely affected by drought which was triggered by the El Niño phenomenon.
A multi-awarded farmer from Bergoña in Bintawan Sur, Villa Verde, Nueva Vizcaya used Amino Plus Foliar Fertilizer to save his corn plantation from the drought which affected many parts of Region 2 late last year.
“Without the timely application of Amino Plus Foliar Fertilizer, I would have suffered great losses,” he said.
Several provinces in the northern part of the country have been severely affected by either drought due to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon or flooding due to weather disturbances. These factors have greatly affected rice and corn farmers, particularly in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Kalinga. Cabanayan’s corn plantation was among those threatened by a
prolonged period of drought.
Another farmer who testified that the product saved his palay plantation is Dionisio Tamayao of Barangay Dangan in Reina Mercedes, Isabela. His crop survived being submerged in floodwaters for more than 48 hours.
While El Niño is taking its toll on Region 2, particularly in Isabela, the typhoon “Nona” which struck last December caused flooding in the area. The heavy rains flooded many agricultural lands in Isabela, some of which were already planted with palay. The farmland of Tamayao in Barangay Dangan was not spared, and he claimed that most of the other crops which were already planted in the surrounding farmlands were destroyed by floodwaters.
But when the floodwaters subsided, he was surprised to find that all the palay he had planted stood erect. Tamayao attributed the sturdiness of his palay crop to the foliar fertilizer he sprayed beforehand. He says he might have suffered undue losses if he hadn’t been able to spray his palay with Amino Plus Foliar Fertilizer. This is an organic fertilizer which can boost the growth and productivity of rice, corn, vegetables, fruit trees, ornamentals, and many other crops like tomato and onion.
With the use of the product, tomatoes can become shiner and more plump – among the qualities sought after by buyers or traders.
Foliar feeding can also be used to overcome root problems when they are less efficient due to low or high temperatures, or there is a lack of oxygen in flooded fields, or a nematode attack damaging the vascular system, and a decrease in root activity during the reproductive stages where more of the photosynthetic creation is transferred for reproduction with less for root
respiration.
Plants sprayed with foliar fertilizer are more resistant to diseases and other stresses in the field like extreme drought or flooding. When sprayed on crops, it effectively adheres to the plant’s surface and provides quick supplementation. The palay which Tamayao planted is proof of how Amino Plus can help crops survive prevent plant stress.
Amino Plus is manufactured in Mandaue City in Cebu by Global Green Organic Fertilizer, Inc. The product has been registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, and is also certified
by the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines.
Unlike other fertilizers which are derived from fish and other natural sources, Amino Plus Foliar Fertilizer is not processed at high temperatures, preventing denaturation of proteins while retaining amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, and natural oil. The trimmings and fish scraps, particularly of the mackerel types, are fermented to produce the organic foliar fertilizer. It also contains effective microorganisms which have long-term beneficial effects on the physical, chemical, and biological condition of the soil.
This appeared in Agriculture Monthly’s July 2016 issue.
