EM News

This is an abstract of the article published at Chunichi Newspaper on August 1st

On the July 31st, young producer group of Oyabe city in Toyama prefecture, began to make a natural herbicide to protect vegetables and rice from pests. They harvested the pepper known as the strongest pepper in the world named "Bhut Jolokia" at the Sky Farm Oyabe and started to prepare the control agent against weeds.

Wishing to provide organic products, one of the farmers cultivated 120 stock of this pepper in a green house of 100 m² since May this year.

This day five farmers gathered bringing variety of herbs like mugwort, leek, garlic and put with the bhut Jolokia in a mixer. They added vinegar, Japanese liqueur Shochu and Activated EM?1� totaled 200 liters of natural herbicide. After fermentation process for around one week, the solution ready to use is sprayed from a helicopter over 25 Ha of farmland.  

Harmful insects like stink bugs, eat the amylum of rice resulting in lowering the rice quality. Although, the farmers realized that these type of insects do not like the spicy taste. Three years ago, they discovered that using the spicy habanero pepper, there was almost no pest damage.

The head of the group said, "the ingredients for the natural herbicide are all grown here and therefore we can also aspire to offer safe and secure agriculture recycling".

Click on Chunichi Web to read the original article (Japanese only)