Effective microorganisms

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Effective Microorganisms ( English effective microorganisms ) are commercial mixtures of various universally occurring aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms referred to in the food industry, to be varied used to improve the composting of the house climate or animal health. Independent scientific studies have not yet confirmed the advertised positive effects.

Effective Microorganisms and EM are registered trademarks of Em Research Organization, Inc. (EMRO), based in Uruma , Okinawa , Japan . EMRO has commercial licensees and manufacturers worldwide. In the German-speaking world it is sold as “Effective Microorganisms” or “EM” for short.

concept

The commercial concept of Effective Microorganisms was introduced in the mid-1980s by Teruo Higa , Japanese professor of horticulture . Higa has published the thesis according to which a distinction can be made in the soil between positive (constructive / regenerative), negative (decomposing / degenerative) and opportunistic microbes. The addition of a few regenerative microorganisms (relative to the total mass) can create an overall favorable environment, which makes the nutrients from the substrate produced in the soil usable. There is no durable evidence of Higa's theses, which Higas himself admitted.

Products

Products that are sold under the name EM include both a microbial mixture in the nutrient solution itself, which is not specifically identified, and finished products ("activated") manufactured with it. The original microbe solution is known as EM-1 and is marketed under this protected name ( registered trademark ) by EM Research Organization Inc. Japan (EMRO).

composition

Effective microorganism products consist of various taxa that are also used in the food industry.

The mixture developed by Teruo Higa originally contained:

These are initially in cultures grown, then in a nutrient solution mixed at pH 3.5 to 3.8 and finally as a microbial inoculum (engl .: microbial inoculant applied).

Today's cultures of effective microorganisms are more complex and contain:

target

The effective microorganisms are supposed to decompose the substrate and, when metabolized, release metabolic end products which in turn serve as food for other microorganisms. The purple bacteria are not used because of their photosynthetic ability ( phototrophy ), but because of their ability to chemo- and heterotrophy .

application

To add soil or slurry, the EM-1, known as the stock solution, should first be added to a sugary molasses solution and incubated anaerobically for about 7 days at about 25-45 ° C. The nutrient solution with microbes obtained in this way is called "activated EM" (EM-A) and can either be placed directly in the soil, sprayed onto plants or mixed with organic waste and composted. The organic waste prepared for airtight composting with EM is called EM Bokashi .

Scientific studies

Study situation

It is criticized that much of the information that can be found about EM is unreliable and based on work that does not meet scientific standards. It was also shown that positive effects are not caused directly by living EM microorganisms, but primarily stem from the nutrient-rich solution substrate. Higa himself points out that the lack of scientific acceptance is due to the difficult reproducibility .

Studies on soil improvement and yield increase

In a broad study that examined the effects of EM in field trials under the conditions of organic farming in a long-term trial over four years with different crops (potatoes, barley, wheat, alfalfa), a direct effect of EM products could not be confirmed. The study carried out at Agroscope in Switzerland examined both the effects of EM alone and in conjunction with organic fertilizer (Bokashi). All effects on soil and yield could be attributed solely to the fertilizer effect of the applied nutrient substrates, since in addition to the control doses (without EM), sterilized EM-A was also tested. Changes in the microbial composition of the soil could not be confirmed.

An earlier experimental study, which determined soil changes and yield increases based on incubation and pot tests, came to similar results. Here, too, the effect of adding just the substrate was examined with sterilized EM-A. As a result, it was found that the effects emanating from EM were based only on the addition of organic fertilizers, which are always associated with the administration of EM, and not on the introduction of living microorganisms.

Another study that Bokashi - made from banana trees once with EM, without EM (water) and sterilized EM - used to fertilize banana plants under tropical conditions, found potassium concentrations in the banana leaves that were significantly higher than during treatment with Bokashi from sterilized EM.

Further studies that do not compare with sterilized EM come to different results. In these studies, it is not possible to differentiate whether the soil parameters and yield changes in plants are influenced by the introduction of living microorganisms or due to the organic fertilizer introduced (substrate effect).

In a study that examined the yield performance of German ryegrass (Lolium perenne) under the influence of fermented manure (with and without EM) in a pot experiment, there was no difference in nitrogen uptake and biomass between the treatments; these were only without fertilizer significant.

When comparing chicken manure and EM on the yield of maize and the chemical and microbial properties of alluvial soils, a study was unable to determine any clear effect.

A study in Pakistan found a positive effect of EM on cotton plants, which was attributed to the increased efficiency of both mineral fertilizers and compost, although there were no increases in yield when EM was used alone.

An eleven-year study in China describes a positive effect of EM on the yield of wheat, which is not attributed solely to the fertilizing effect of the compost substrate.

The authors of a study on the use of EM-A in various forms of application on basil do not consider the use of EM in plants with a short vegetation period that grow in soil with a lot of humus and macro-elements to be justified.

In a field trial on Tenerife , Swiss chard after treatment with EM as well as EM and Bokashi showed only minor differences in the physical and chemical properties compared to the control without any fertilizer application, with a measurement after 19 weeks showing higher nutritional values ​​than the first after 8 weeks. Control plants had a higher water content than those treated with various EM products. The latter, however, showed a lower vitamin C content and higher values ​​for phosphorus and magnesium . The application of EM also induced higher calcium values ​​than in untreated plants.

Studies on compost preparation and pest control with EM

A study that examined the need for inoculation (= inoculation ) with cellulose- decomposing EM bacteria and fungi of the genus Trichoderma in the composting of small to medium-sized household waste came to the conclusion that inoculation with EM and Trichoderma in view the C / N ratio did not result in a significant difference in the nitrogen availability for plants and microorganisms, but the EM inoculation improved the reproduction rate of earthworms and thus created the best environment for worm composting in the experiment .

In a Dutch study, the effect of Bokashi balls (mud balls mixed with EM) on the growth of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and a reduction in blue-green algae bloom was investigated. Only in very high concentrations of 5 and 10 g per liter, which were well above the recommended concentrations, did the balls show a growth-inhibiting effect on the algae, which was explained by the reduced exposure to light. The study was unable to confirm the hypothesis that EM could prevent the growth of cyanobacteria or stop their bloom, and it also denies the possibility that EM products could permanently bind or remove phosphorus in eutrophic systems.

When rhododendron plants were infested with the fungal pest Phytophthora ramorum, EM had no significant preventive or curative effect in an experimental study and only resulted in a slight reduction in infestation.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c “ I developed a mixture of microbes, using the very common species found in all environments as extensively used in the food industry - namely Lactic Acid Bacteria, Photosynthetic Bacteria an [d] Yeasts. It never contained any genetically manipulated species and never will. EM®, which was developed by accident (...) is safe, low in cost (...) People in some countries even drink it. Teruo Higa: EM®: A Holistic Technology For Humankind . TeraGanix, Inc .. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ Global Partners . EM Research Organization. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 27, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.emrojapan.com
  3. ↑ a b Teruo Higa: A revolution to save the earth: solve the problems of our world with effective microorganisms (EM). 6th edition. OLV, Organischer Landbau-Verlag, Xanten 2004, ISBN 3-922201-35-0 .
  4. ↑ a b c Cóndor Golec, Aníbal F., P. González Pérez, C. Lokare: Effective Microorganisms: Myth or reality? Rev. peru. biol., 14 (2), 315–319 (2007) (PDF file, 308 kB)
  5. ↑ a b Schenck zu Schweinsberg-Mickan, M. & Müller, T .: Impact of effective microorganisms and other biofertilizers on soil microbial characteristics, organic-matter decomposition, and plant growth. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 172, 704-712 (2009) doi: 10.1002 / jpln.200800021
  6. ↑ a b Dr. Teruo Higa: Beneficial and Effective Microorganisms for a Sustainable Agriculture and Environment. . International Nature Farming Research Center, 1994, p. 7.
  7. ↑ a b Mayer, J., Scheid, S., Widmer, F., Fließbach, A. & Oberholzer, H.-R .: How effective are “Effective microorganisms® (EM)”? Results from a field study in temperate climate. Applied Soil Ecology 46, 230-239 (2010) doi: 10.1016 / j.apsoil.2010.08.007
  8. ↑ a b Van Vliet, PCJ, Bloem, J. & De Goede, RGM Microbial diversity, nitrogen loss and grass production after addition of Effective Micro-organisms® (EM) to slurry manure. Applied Soil Ecology 32, 188-198 (2006) doi: 10.1016 / j.apsoil.2005.07.001
  9. ↑ a b Priyadi, K., Hadi, A. & Siagian, T .: Effect of soil type, applications of chicken manure and effective microorganisms on corn yield and microbial properties of acidic wetland soils in Indonesia. Soil Science & Plant 51 (5), 689-691 (2005) doi: 10.1111 / j.1747-0765.2005.tb00092.x
  10. ↑ a b Khaliq, A., Abbasi, MK & Hussain, T .: Effects of integrated use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with effective microorganisms (EM) on seed cotton yield in Pakistan. Bioresource Technology 97, 967-72 (2006) doi: 10.1016 / j.biortech.2005.05.002
  11. ↑ a b Kleiber, T. & Klama, J .: Impact of effective microorganisms on yields and nutrition of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and microbiological properties of the substrate. African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 7 (43), 5756-5765 (2012) doi: 10.5897 / AJAR12.145
  12. ↑ a b Daiss, N. et al. The effect of three organic pre-harvest treatments on Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. Cycla L.) quality. European Food Research and Technology 226, 345-353 (2007) doi: 10.1007 / s00217-006-0543-2
  13. ↑ a b Product definitions of EM technology . EM-RAKO GmbH & Co. KG, 32369 Rahden, Germany. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  14. ↑ Ladino-Orjuela, G .; Rodríguez-Pulido, JA: The effect of Lactobacillus casei, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rhodopseudomona palustris (beneficial and effective microorganisms - EM) and molasses on tilapia (Oreochromis sp) weight-gain in laboratory conditions . Revista Orinoquia 2009 Vol. 13 No. 1 pp. 31-36
  15. ^ A b Nathan Szymanski, Robert A Patterson: Effective Microorganisms (EM) and Wastewater Systems. (PDF) Future Directions for On-site Systems: Best Management Practice. Proceedings of On-site '03 Conference, October 2003, accessed August 3, 2018 .
  16. ↑ a b J. Mayer, S. Scheid, F. Widmer, A. Fließbach, H.-R. Oberholzer: Effects of 'Effective Microorganisms EM' on plant and soil microbiological parameters in a field trial, Zurich, Switzerland . In: orgprints.org . http://orgprints.org/9691/,+ 2003-2006. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  17. ↑ Schenck zu Schweinsberg-Mickan, M. & Müller, T. Impact of effective microorganisms and other biofertilizers on soil microbial characteristics, organic-matter decomposition, and plant growth. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 172, 704-712 (2009) doi: 10.1016 / j.apsoil.2010.08.007
  18. ↑ Formowitz, B., Elango, F., Okumoto, S., Muller, T. & Buerkert, A .: The role of "effective microorganisms" in the composting of banana (Musa spp.) Residues. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 170, 649-656 (2007) doi: 10.1002 / jpln.200700002
  19. ↑ Hu, C. & Qi, Y. Long-term effective microorganisms application promote growth and increase yields and nutrition of wheat in China. European Journal of Agronomy 46, 63-67 (2013) doi: 10.1016 / j.eja.2012.12.003
  20. ↑ Nair, J. & Okamitsu, K .: Microbial inoculants for small scale composting of putrescible kitchen wastes. Waste management (New York, NY) 30, 977-82 (2010). doi: 10.1016 / j.wasman.2010.02.016
  21. ↑ Lurling, M., Tolman, Y. & Oosterhout, F .: Cyanobacteria blooms cannot be controlled by Effective Microorganisms (EM®) from mud- or Bokashi-balls. Hydrobiologia 646: 133-143 (2010). doi: 10.1007 / s10750-010-0173-3
  22. ↑ Nechwatal, J., Haug, P., Huber, CV & Jung, T .: Studies on the control of Phytophthora ramorum on rhododendrons as part of the development of a treatment concept for parks and gardens. Healthy Plants 62, 53-62 (2010). doi: 10.1007 / s10343-010-0221-y