Fertilisers are an important part of growing produce. However, if too much is used, crop yields can suffer. If too little is used, plants are unable to reach their full potential.
Through the MARVISTA Institute for Agriculture Training and Development, farmers in Tobago were given the opportunity to attend a workshop where they gained a better understanding of how fertilisers ought to be used.
MARVISTA Institute Chairman and agronomist Marcus Mycoo says they have been perfecting the science of getting the best agriculture yields within the conditions that exist in Trinidad and Tobago and are seeing success in crops like cassava.
“The average number of tubers per plant is over 15, not six.”
Mr Mycoo explained that getting crops to produce higher than normal yields is about understanding what the plant needs at each stage of growth and the most effective way of delivering it to the plant.
“Remember, the plant has to take up the food by which part? The roots, in particular, the tip of the root. You see, like the tip of your fingernail, nowhere else.”
Plants’ nutrients are found in the soil. But over time, nutrients can become depleted, resulting in the need for farmers to utilise fertilisers. However, fertilisers are costly, and according to soil expert Jonathan Mycoo, using them incorrectly can negatively impact the plant and the environment.
“If you use your fertilisers with a more mindful approach, you will have less losses in the waterways and basically less of an impact on the environment because we know that fertiliser chemicals are very strong, and when they go into the environment, they have a lot of negative impacts; they could kill aquatic life, they could reduce water quality.”
He noted that testing the soil would help farmers identify which nutrients are lacking and determine the optimal quantities needed for specific crops.
“It should inform how you use your fertiliser. If you have high phosphorus, you could put less because the plant will still take up some of that phosphorus.”
Knowing where to place the fertiliser is also important.
Marcus Mycoo stated that there is one mistake that Caribbean farmers generally make: “By and large, most place that starter fertiliser incorrectly, and therefore they do not get the real power to start the crop.”
He attributed this mistake to farmers overlooking how nutrients are absorbed through the roots. Additionally, minerals such as nitrogen, which is important to plant health, are unable to soak through the soil if placed on the surface.
“When they put it on the top, that middle number, the 24 that is really for rooting, does not move in the soil. You know, like when you put lime in milk, what does happen? It’s gone, it’s solid. Well, if it’s solid, it can’t move.”
The workshop was presented in collaboration with the Tobago House of Assembly, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, the Cropper Foundation and Republic Bank.