Azolla Backyard Cultivation: Innovation and Ecological significance

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There is an ever increasing global demand for animal protein like milk, meat and egg with no proportionate plant protein availability for the production of animal protein. This is often compensated by commercial chemical protein equivalents like Urea and anabolic boosters like steroids, affecting the health of the livestock, the quality of animal protein and subsequently of human consumers leading to chronic and severe health diseases including dreaded disease like cancer etc. Spiraling energy costs also make the production of commercial chemical feeds very costly, impoverishing the marginal livestock farmers. Through Azolla technology VK-NARDEP aims to develop Cost effective decentralized backyard production technology and development of Azolla as protein, and nutraceutical Bio-feed supplement for the livestock, poultry and fishery. Though there have been a lot of packages available for organic agriculture with the help of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, there is no such variety of packages available for organic livestock management. Azolla technology as cost-effective bio-feed provides the first crucial step in that direction. Azolla is also synergically associated with bio-gas technology as bio-gas slurry based value-added Azolla production has been integrated in many village households.

Backyard Azolla cultivation is an absolutely new innovation, the first ever-renewable bio-feed input that can be produced in the homestead of/by the farmer. NARDEP method-Azolla is the only bio-feed to be developed which can be cultivated by the ordinary farmer without any external chemical inputs. So this is no competitive innovation, as it cannot be compared with urea supplementation, addition of steroid etc. It is a combination of fodder and feed. Azolla technology combines the best of both macro fodder and single cell protein without their short-comings and thus can be called ‘Poor man’s spirulina’. Cost/benefit: Economic and social aspects: Trials have been carried out by VK-NARDEP, with Azolla as a feed supplement in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Trials on dairy animals showed an overall increase of milk yield by 15–20 % when 2–3 Kg of Azolla was combined with regular feed. 15 – 20% of commercial feed can be replaced with the same quantity of Azolla on dry weight basis, without affecting milk production. It was also found that Azolla feeding improves the quality of milk and the health and longevity of livestock. Along with this the high biomass potential of Azolla, a yield of 1000 MT/ hectare/year at the rate of 350 gm./sq.m/day, makes this ear-ring shaped green fern ideal feed. Replication potential: The VK-NARDEP model Azolla systems have been successfully implemented throughout Kerala state and also in many south Indian districts as well as districts of Maharashtra: Environmental compatibility: By growing Azolla enormous quantity of Carbon di Oxide and Nitrogen are absorbed reducing the green house effect on the environment. Azolla also releases an equivalent quantity of Oxygen making the environment more oxygenic and life-supportive.It also provides Oxygen to the water body increasing the biological oxygen content of water, making water bodies conducive for aquatic organisms. Azolla regulates water pH almost near to neutral so that aquatic bio-diversity can thrive. It solublizes phosphorus and minerals and fixes atmospheric Nitrogen thereby making aquatic Carbon, Nitrogen, Mineral ratio ideal for aquatic organisms. In short Azolla will bring life back to almost biologically dead water bodies. De-centralized production of Azolla bio-feed both at farmers’ level and pellet feed at factory level, will conserve substantially the raw materials, energy, cost of production and emission of green house gases in the production process, transportation costs etc of the feed by 30 percent nationally. As a bio-fertilizer Azolla reduces the use of chemical fertilizer by 30-40% and thus saves the environment; Reduces water evaporation. Azolla bed in homestead can reduce chemical input The mud in the Silpauline sheet after six months of Azolla growth is a good bio-manure rich in NPK and micro-nutrients. Growing Azolla in 2 percent of the land will take care of the part of the fertilizer requirement of the balance field. This bed in NARDEP method acts also as a water harvesting station during rain, live mulch in summer, a fertilizer factory producing N fertilizer, solubliser of phosphorous and other mineral nutrients. Azolla is known its quality to control mosquito in water bodies Azolla is an endangered fern entered in the red data book. Today it has come back from the edge of extinction, thanks to this project which is based on continuous strain improvement and selection over the period of a decade. This is a stress tolerant one with high biomass and nutritional potential as well as flexibility.

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Last Updated on Monday, 13 December 2010 06:33

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