At a time when concerns are raised from various quarters about the hazards that excessive fertilisers can cause to environment, Rejimon Joseph, a farmer scientist, has developed a manure system which uses only natural fertiliser and insecticide.
Preparing himself to meet the possible restrictions that may come into force in the wake of United Nations declaring Western ghats as heritage zone, Rejimon, a winner of several awards, has developed an effective ‘njallani manure management system’ to replace the ‘high production technology’. In this system, cowdung, different kinds of oil cakes, a new Nitrogen-phosporous-potash mix, calcium and organic inputs, are mixed in an appropriate proportion and then fermented for applying on cardamom plants from six days to 30 days at different stages.
Cardamom plants absorb 90 per cent of the fertiliser, resulting in good yield.
On the contrary, the use of chemical fertilisers leads to heavy loss of yield. Also, the farmers apply it several times than required, resulting in soil and air pollution.
A formal training would help any farmer to develop the manure without any support. Developer of high-yield hybrid variety of cardamom, ‘Njallani Green Gold’, Reji has also developed new planting methods of ‘Ottachimpan’, ‘Pathiyan’ and ‘Kuzhilya planting’.
He has adopted a low-dose short-interval sustainable practice of farming, which has helped in reducing chemical fertilizer input 40 to 60 per cent without any reduction in productivity.
A native of Kattapana, Reji has presented six scientific research papers in the science congress on different occasions.