The National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI)’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Oudho Homenauth on Wednesday met with a group of vegetable and fruit farmers at Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

The visit was as a result of an interaction Dr. Homenauth had with two farmers from the Spilweir Group at Square of the Revolution at D’Urban Park two Wednesdays ago. The farmers complained of losing crops, mainly sweet pepper as a result of an unknown disease in the area.

“The farmers met with us at Cuffy Square and complained about investing money and time in this crop and then losing it all because of this unknown disease so right away I gave them my commitment to visit the area,” the CEO said.

Dr. Homenauth and a team from the institute visited some of the farmers and examined their crops. It was later found that the sweet peppers were not being affected by any disease but in fact, there were symptoms of calcium deficiency and iron toxicity. The soils were very acidic and this resulted in the fruits being affected by blossom end rot which is a physiological disorder.

“When you cut the plant, you will see that the plants are healthy and there is no disease but because the pH in the soil is low, the peppers appear to have these black spots. The soil is acidic,” Dr. Homenauth said. To correct this problem, he recommended the use of limestone.

Adding limestone to the soil will raise the pH by correcting excess acidity. It is the application of calcium- and magnesium-rich materials to the soil. NAREI’s officers will be working with the farmers to apply limestone to the area and to monitor the crops.

In addition to applying limestone, Dr. Homenauth advised the farmers to practice crop rotation and intercropping. Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. It gives various nutrients to the soil.
Crop rotation also mitigates the build-up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped, and can also improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.

Intercropping, on the other hand, is the practice of growing two or more crop types on one field to maximize the use of space.