Biofix is an organic fertilizer researched and developed by the University of Nairobi since 1981.
It is tailored to meet the needs of leguminous crop such as beans, cowpeas, groundnuts, Soya beans; leguminous pasture crops e.g. Lucerne, desmodium and leguminous tree e.g. sesbania, caliandra. Biofix is simple to use and being an organic product, is environmental friendly. It is tailored for Kenyan soils, has a low labour requirement and is easy to carry and transport.
Available In:
Plants require Nitrogen as a basic neccesity for growth and good overall health. Nitrogen needs to be in the form of a soluble compound to be useful to plants. Certain bacteria found in the soul (e.g. Rhizobium) convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that can be readily absorbed by plants - a process know as nitrogen-fixation
Biofix is manufactured through artificially culturing nitrogen-fixing bacteria in a set of controlled conditions. This culture can be stored and transported in liquid or solid form, before being mixed with water and used to treat seeds before plants (innoculation). Seed innoculation boosts the positive effects of nitrogen fixation
Once planting seeds are innoculated with
Biofix, the action of nitrogen-fixing bacteria
on in the soil is greatly enhanced increasing
the crops nitrogen intake to levels higher than those experienced with mineral fertilizers.
The result is faster growth and a bountiful
harvest for all your leguminous crops, such as beans, peas, cowepeas, soybeans and the like.
Preparation
Add 30g Gum Arabic (or 2 tablespoons of sugar) to 300ml clean water in a soda bottle and shake well to dissolve. Fill a debe can (or any other container) with 15kg of large sized legume seeds. Transfer the 10kg legume seeds from the debe into a clean basin.
Innoculation
Pour Gum Arabic/Sugar solution onto the legume seeds in the basin. Using both hands, mix the legume seeds with the Gum Arabic/ sugar solution until all the seeds are wet. Using the right type of BIOFIX for the legume seeds,
add the inoculant onto the wet seeds.
Planting
Mix the legume seeds and the innoculant thoroughly using both hands until all the seeds are uniformly covered with the inoculant. Cover the basin with paper, cloth or gunny bag and keep under shade. Plant the inoculated seeds as soon as possible in well prepared moist bed