The Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) promotion of preventive biotechnology in agriculture over the past few years has not only helped the environment, but also improved harvest yield and quality, and enabled farmers to save on expenses, the agency said.
Overuse of fertilizer has led to excessive concentrations of phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium in the soil, made nutrients unable to be absorbed by crops and is the main source of nutrient pollution in waterways, the EPA said.
The agency began developing biocoal and biofertilizers in 2019 in collaboration with National Taiwan University, and found that they could help farmers reduce fertilizer use by 20 to 50 percent, as well as decrease nutrient pollution, Department of Water Quality Protection Director Yen Hsu-ming (顏旭明) said.
Photo: CNA
The EPA has chosen areas around the Fei Tsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫) and Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) to promote the use of biofertilizers, Yen said.
Research has shown that photosynthetic bacteria can aid crop growth, and researchers have been teaching farmers how to harvest or cultivate their own bacteria, said Kuo Yang-cheng (郭楊正), a researcher at the Food Industry Research and Development Institute’s Bioresource Conservation and Research Center.
The use of biofertilizer has cut down on 20 to 70 percent of phosphorous loss, boosted field production by 7 to 24 percent and reduced fertilizer costs for farmers by 15 to 41 percent, Yang added.
Tan Ming-ta (覃明達), owner of a farm in Taoyuan’s Fusing Township (復興), said that he was very cautious at first, only using one-fifth of his land to trial biofertilizers.
However, he said he was pleasantly surprised to find that the section of his peach orchard where biofertilizers had been used yielded 20 percent more fruit and the fruit was also larger.
This has led to his sales increasing 20 to 30 percent, Tan said, adding that he would use biofertilizers for all of his crops next season and would recommend the product to other peach farmers in the Lalashan (拉拉山) area.
In addition to promoting the use of preventive biotechnology, the EPA said it aims to set up more artificial wetlands, grassed waterways and green belts to mitigate nutrient pollution in water bodies.
Additional reporting by CNA
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS