Plant disease experts cultivate elite bacteria, Bacillus subtilis makes strawberries big and bright red, fewer diseases and insect pests, and more pesticides.

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When I came to the strawberry orchard of Wu Shengbao, a farmer in Miaoli Lake, there were huge, bright red fruits under the lush green leaves, and the garden was full of prosperity. It turns out that halving pesticides is not a dream, even the most delicate strawberries can be done, and the plants are more productive and healthy!

The farmer who laughs at Mimi has the advice of an expert behind him. The teacher who instructed Wu Shengbao to halve pesticides and make good use of beneficial microorganisms is Zeng Teh-chi, a retired professor in the Department of Plant Diseases at Chung Hsing University. Tseng Teh-chih has advocated the botanist system and developed microbial preparations for many years. This time, in cooperation with the Academy of Agricultural Science and Technology, he has coached farmers who grow various crops to conduct experiments, and achieved remarkable results.

"I have been growing strawberries for more than 20 years, and this is the most time-saving and labor-saving year." Farmers say that in the past, the pesticide trade used to be equipped with a lot of pesticides, but now with teacher guidance, most of the medicines are saved. "so I very much agree with botanists about what diseases they have and what medicines they prescribe, and prescribe the right medicine!"

The strawberries picked are huge, and the proportion of big fruit is as high as 70% (photography / Cai Jiashan). The proportion of big fruit is as high as 75%, and there is no need for hormone.

The whole lake is a strawberry garden, but Wu Shengbao's garden is different. Most strawberry orchards have the problem of lack of plants, some even as high as 50% to 60%, which used to be sparse. Otherwise, the leaves are yellowed, the leaves are thin and soft, and are attacked by anthracnose and Fusarium oxysporum from time to time. In terms of insect pests, the two-point spider mite, commonly known as "red spider", is also rampant.

However, Wu Shengbao's strawberry orchard is full of deep green leaves, not only there is no shortage of plants, but also a large number of leaves, each of which is quite thick and firm. If you take a closer look at the strawberry fruit, the proportion of large fruit is as high as 75%, which is better than that of previous years, with no hormone, solid taste and no hollow taste. Not only does the overall output increase by 20% or 30%, but the flavor is also better, making the couple happy to pick.

Spray Bacillus subtilis nutrient solution on the leaves, the leaves are thick and straight (Photo / Cai Jiashan)

The strawberry fruit is ruddy and healthy, and the diseases and insect pests in the garden are almost wiped out (Photo / Cai Jiashan) there is no shortage of plants resistant to disease and insect pests, and the plants are strong and productive.

Wu Shengbao was originally a farmer who used accurate drugs, and the use of chemical pesticides was low, but now it has been reduced by more than 50%. He elaborated on the need to prevent diseases two months after planting, which used to be sprayed once every 10 days, but now it is extended to 20 days. Immediately entered the harvest time, spraying frequency is even lower, originally about once a month to control red spiders, now the time is also lengthened, from planting to now more than four months only three times.

Tseng Teh-chih was pleased to point to the strawberry leaves and said, "healthy leaves, red spiders don't like to eat." This archenemy of strawberries can hardly be seen in Wu Shengbao Garden. "if the leaves are thick, they will be resistant to stress, the plants will be healthy, and the fruit will be large, solid and have a natural flavor." Anthracnose and Fusarium oxysporum are almost extinct.

There is no shortage of disease-resistant and insect-resistant plants, and plants are stronger and more productive. How on earth do you do that?

It turns out that Zeng Teh-chi's secret weapon for tutoring farmers is the "functional nutritional formula of Bacillus subtilis." Wu Shengbao said that there are two ways of spraying leaves and using water belts to irrigate the soil. "it is sprayed once every 3-4 days at the top and once every 7-10 days below." In this way, not only the use of medicine has been reduced by more than 50%, but also fertilizer has been saved by 40% to 50%.

Strawberry orchards using Bacillus subtilis nutrient solution (left) are healthy and luxuriant, in sharp contrast to neighboring gardens with serious lack of plants (Photo / Cai Jiashan) Elite bacteria from Wufeng Paradise

"Bacillus subtilis is already widespread in nature." Tseng Teh-chih is an authority on plant disease. in the past, when isolating pathogens, he found that as long as Bacillus subtilis existed, the pathogens could not grow, so Bacillus subtilis was studied.

He isolated and screened from the rhizosphere and cultivation media of various crops, such as this strain called "WG6-14", where W stands for Wufeng and G stands for Guava, a strain of Bacillus subtilis screened from Wufeng's Paradise.

The common problems of microbial preparations are that they are not effective after spraying, or they are not easy to preserve, have a short shelf life, and die when the temperature changes slightly. However, Tseng Teh-chi screened out the strongest bacteria, which not only achieved remarkable results, but also could be preserved at a low temperature below 10 degrees Celsius for a year.

The antagonism between Bacillus subtilis and bacteria shows that the bacteria dare not get close to Bacillus subtilis. The following picture shows Bacillus subtilis on the left and Rhizoctonia solani, Rhizoctonia solani and overgrowth bacteria on the right (from left to right) (Photo courtesy of Zeng Dezhi)

How to cultivate the strongest soldiers? Tseng Teh-chi explains that the primary criterion for screening is to be able to form "endospores." "if you boil it in hot water at 100 degrees Celsius for five minutes, the spores will survive." When Bacillus subtilis is in the state of endophytic spores, it has a strong ability to resist stress. "spores can sleep and survive the harsh environment."

After a high-fever test, of course, it is also possible to resist pathogenic bacteria, "that is, as long as there is a place where it grows, the pathogenic bacteria dare not come here." In addition, it is best to be able to promote the growth of plant roots, which depends on the metabolites of Bacillus subtilis.

Zeng Dezhi, a professor in the Department of Plant Diseases of ZTE University, retreated endlessly, went to the farm to help farmers, and promoted the botanist system (Photography / Cai Jiashan) to raise the best soldiers with the best nutrition bags.

Food and forage are needed to support the army, so the nutrition and environmental conditions of cultivating bacteria are extremely important. The formula of nourishment, appropriate temperature and sufficient air supply will affect the quality of Bacillus subtilis. The strain must also be pure enough and there must be no miscellaneous bacteria. The concentration of Bacillus subtilis screened by Zeng Dezhi was in 1c.c. There are 100 billion, take it to the petri dish to propagate, and there are almost no miscellaneous bacteria.

These beneficial microorganisms can not only play an antagonistic role against harmful bacteria, but also "bring bento" to crops. Tseng Teh-chih explains that the cultivation of beneficial bacteria will give different nutrients, such as fish meal, soybean meal, black sugar, and so on. After the beneficial bacteria are decomposed and transformed, crops will absorb them more easily. The metabolites produced by probiotics have the effect of resisting bacteria and promoting plant growth.

"raise the best soldiers with the best nutrition bag." Tseng Teh-chih explains that this nutrient can be adjusted according to the special nutrients needed by crops at different stages. when more nitrogen fertilizer is needed, nutrients with high nitrogen content are used to raise bacteria, more phosphorus is needed during flowering, and more potassium is used when the fruit is about to mature.

There is a fermentation vat specially designed to cultivate bacteria in Wu Shengbao's Gongliao. After putting in nutrients and bacteria, they are heated at the optimum temperature and stirred continuously for seven days at a fixed temperature, so that the bacteria can completely decompose and transform their nutrients. This is called "preferential culture." Tseng Teh-chi explains, "when a spore meets heat, water and nutrition, it wakes up and begins to decompose nutrients. After decomposing plants, it is easier to absorb. The strain also secretes metabolites, such as phenolic acids, which are good for the roots. "

Huang Wen, a researcher at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced the equipment for stirring bacteria and nutrients, which can be specially designed to set temperature and breathable to fully stir farmers: climate leads to an endless stream of new problems and pesticides are insufficient to cope with.

Another cooperative farmer, Zhang Meidan, who is also in the Great Lake, grows elevated strawberries. "I've been walking in a non-toxic direction. I'm spraying myself at the height of elevated strawberries."

Zhang Meidan began to use Bacillus subtilis nutrient solution last year. After mining in December, he no longer used chemical pesticides and sprayed Bacillus subtilis every five days. "not only are there fewer diseases this year, but the most effective one is the two-point spider mite. In the past, it was sprayed once a month, which was NT $3,000 to NT $4,000 for pesticides, but this year it was only sprayed once from beginning to end. "

Zhang Meidan and Wu Shengbao also mentioned that strawberry farmers are often distressed to buy diseased seedlings, but they do not necessarily have the ability and time to raise their own seedlings, and Bacillus subtilis nutrient solution can also help. Whether you raise your own seedlings or buy your own seedlings, soak your roots in the nutrient solution of Bacillus subtilis and bring beneficial bacteria into the soil before planting them, so that you can have a strong head in the future.