Scientists are often blamed for living in a ‘scientific bubble’. It’s one thing to talk amongst fellow scientists about a certain research topics and have thorough discussions, but if scientists are not able to communicate their results with people that are not into the topic, their research loses its value. Therefore, we invited two speakers to explain their research as if they were talking to my mum at the kitchen table, who has, besides her own home garden, nothing to do with agricultural research on ‘soil fertility and nutrient cycling’. In part I we present Estelle Berset. Estelle Berset Although the title of the presentation on ‘Effects of Mycorrhiza (AMF) and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizo-bacteria (PGPR) Inoculants on Rice Crops in Northern India’ did not immediately appeal to me, Estelle Berset, scientific collaborator at FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) in Frick, was a pleasant surprise between all those men during the session ‘soil fertility and nutrient cycling’. Is she able to explain her research in ‘normal words’? Can you explain what your research is about? “In my research we are working in India with farmers that have fields where there are very little nutrients, meaning that there is very little to eat for the plants. So plants have high difficulties to find something to eat and to be able to grow.” "We know that there are some animals (plant growth promoting rhizo-bacteria, PGPR) and fungi (AMF) in the soil that can help the plants in taking up the food which is hidden in different parts of the soil. We went to the field we took the bacteria and fungi that are very helpful for the plants out of the soil. These bacteria and fungi were given to the soil with the seeds of the rice when the farmers started sowing, so that they were concentrated around the seeds and could directly help the plant from the moment it starts germinating." “These fungi are able to grow and to go to some parts of the soil where the roots cannot go, because the roots are too big. So the fungi goes there, takes the food and brings it to the plant. But the fungi is not doing this for free: it is getting something to eat from the plant. The bacteria are able to make food that is trapped by the soil available and this also helps the plant. Due to the bacteria, the fungi gets stronger as well.’’ What happens next? “After having done this in the field, we let the crop grow, and when the crop is at maturity and the farmer is harvesting the plant, we can assess the effect of these bacteria and fungi and compare it to the harvest of another part of the field, where we did not give the soil bacteria and fungi. We record the harvest in kilograms and then we are able to say how much yield increase we got through these bacteria and fungi. We’re also interested in the composition of the grain that is harvested. So we analyse the grain in our lab. We want grain with a higher amount of proteins and micronutrients, which is important for the health of the people that are eating the rice.” What are the results of your research? “First, we have a higher amount of food for the people living in these regions in India. In our experiment, the yield increased by 22 percent. Second, they will have better health because this food has a higher quality due to proteins and micronutrients. Third, we are using less chemical fertilizers because our bacteria and fungi are able to use the nutrients that are coming from the fertilizer into the field more efficiently and even those that are hidden. In that way we save chemical fertilizer.” But you still need chemical fertilizers to grow the crops? “Yes, but in our research we had an experiment with and without chemical fertilizer. We now know that it is possible without chemical fertilizers, but at a certain point the bacteria will have taken all the hidden food in the soil and then there are no nutrients in the soil any more. In the long run we therefore need to give more nutrients to the soil by using compost or green manure, the plant sesbania. In our experiment we planted this sesbania between wheat and rice and once it was cut (before maturity), we mixed it with the soil, so there were more nutrients in the soil. The same is true for compost: If you combine the green manure with the bacteria and fungi, you can even increase the yield with 30 percent.” What happens now you have the results? “Now we have seen that our bacteria and fungi are effective, we have given this bacteria and fungi to independent institutes for them to test. They can see for themselves if they get the same results. This is not finished yet. We’ve also distributed the product to several farmers in Northern India, so they can see with their own eyes that the plants with the bacteria and fungi are growing better. This is also very important, because in the end it’s the farmer who will decide to buy the product or not. It’s also a test to see what the effect of this product is when it is the first time, so the increase in yield and quality of the rice will be less than in our experiment, which is already running for 10 years. It will take another 5 to 10 years before the product can be bought in the shops in India.” What will be the impact on the people who are living in Northern India? “In India there are still big problems with malnutrition. The main advantage for people is that they will have a bigger yield and better quality of rice. It is better for the environment and it will improve the soil fertility, because these bacteria are staying in the soil. Another advantage is that these bacteria and fungi don’t have to be imported.”