The price of inorganic fertilizer continues to rise, and 50% reduction on the use of inorganic fertilizer could lower the production cost in sugarcane. Nutrio®, a microbial-based foliar fertilizer; a patented and registered product, can help farmers increase yield and save costs amidst the rising prices of chemical fertilizers in the market. The product is ready for roll-out to sugarcane farmers in the country.
Dr. Virginia M. Padilla, researcher-inventor of Nutrio®, announced that that product is now fully registered at the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority of the Department of Agriculture (DA-FPA) with Product Registration No. 6445 issued in July 2022.
This means that the quality of Nutrio® conforms with the prescribed standards and therefore can be available to the market for sale, distribution, and use. Fullmight Agricultural Corporation (FAC) registered Nutrio® biofertilizer for use in producing annual and biennial industrial crops, such as sugarcane.
FAC is the spin-off company granted by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) with the license to manufacture and distribute Nutrio®. It was founded by the family of Dr. Padilla upon her retirement as a University Researcher at the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) of UPLB.
Dr. Padilla further added that Patent for Invention No. 1-2017000199 filed by UPLB has been granted by the Bureau of Patents of the Intellectual Property of the Philippines in April 2021. The patent grants the owner the exclusive right throughout the Philippines to make, use, sell or import Nutrio® biofertilizer.
Nutrio® is a significant output of a series of research and development (R&D) activities undertaken for five and a half years by UPLB-BIOTECH through the funding support of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). These R&D activities involved the DOST-supported project on development and field testing of endophytic bacterial inoculant as new biofertilizer for sugarcane and eggplant and the PCAARRD-funded project on toxicological study and pilot testing of Nutrio® biofertilizer for improved production of sugarcane in regions III and VI. Currently, PCAARRD has been supporting the project spin-off commercialization of Nutrio® for improved production of sugarcane and other agricultural crops in the Philippines through the DOST start-up grant funds.
General results in pilot test areas and technology demonstration areas in Regions III and VI showed that Nutrio® improved cane and sugar yields by up to more than 30%, when used in combination with one half of the rates of chemical fertilizers used by farmers. Also, instead of applying 100% of the recommended rates of the Sugarcane Regulatory Administration (SRA), a farmer can apply only 50% of it without sacrificing the yield outcomes. With this application rate, a farmer can generate a 50% savings from the cost of chemical fertilizer input.
A hectare requires 20 packets or two kilograms (kg) of Nutrio® powder. The first 1kg of Nutrio® is diluted in 1,000 liters (L) of water and sprayed onto the leaves of the plants two months after planting sugarcane. The second 1kg is also diluted in 1,000L of water and sprayed four months after planting.
Nutrio® can also be used for rice, corn, eggplant, and other short-duration crops. With DOST’s support for commercialization, the company is expected to meet foreseen demands in the market. Individual farmers, small and large sugarcane plantation areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will benefit from this science-based technology intervention.
The product is available for sale by order at FAC based in Los Baños, Laguna. For price inquiry and other details, contact Dr. Virginia M. Padilla at 09171798542.