[compost_tea] A peculiar question
The article below has been sent out on both the local harvest and Market Fa=
rming list serves. I`ve taken an excerpt of all our questions and comments;=
would you please answer my questions, based on the article I have included=
and all your expertise with soil?
Our question to the below article is if you are applying phosphoric acid an=
d CO2 (which increases photosynthesis).....
1. What is the corn syrup and fructose doing to the soil?
2. What fungi would/could develop on the plants as a result?
3. Would it attract more beneficial insects?
4. Any idea using this as a foliar spray do to our organic status?
*************ARTICLE*****************
Things grow better with Coke
John Vidal
Tuesday November 2, 2004
The Guardian
Indian farmers have come up with what they think is the real thing to keep =
crops free of bugs. Instead of paying hefty fees to international chemical =
companies for patented pesticides, they are reportedly spraying their cotto=
n and chilli fields with Coca-Cola. In the past month there have been repor=
ts of hundreds of farmers turning to Coke in Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh=
states.
But as word gets out that soft drinks may be bad for bugs and a lot cheaper=
than anything that Messrs Monsanto, Shell and Dow can offer, thousands of =
others are expected to switch. Gotu Laxmaiah, a farmer from Ramakrishnapura=
m in Andra Pradesh, said he was delighted with his new cola spray, which he=
applied this year to several hectares of cotton. "I observed that the=
pests began to die after the soft drink was sprayed on my cotton," he=
told the Deccan Herald newspaper.
Coca-Cola has had a bad year in India.
Other farmers in Andra Pradesh state accused the company of over-extracting=
underground water for its bottling plants and a government committee uphel=
d findings that drinks made in India by itself and PepsiCo contained unacce=
ptable amounts of pesticide residue. But Mr Laxmaiah and others say their c=
ola sprays are invaluable because they are safe to handle, do not need to b=
e diluted and, mainly, are cheap.
One litre of highly concentrated Avant, Tracer and Nuvocron, three popular =
Indian pesticides, costs around 10,000 rupees (£120), but one-and-a-half =
litres of locally made Coca-Cola is 30 rupees. To spray an acre would be a =
mere 270 rupees.
It is clearly not Coke's legendary "secret" ingredient that is up=
setting the bugs. The farmers also swear by Pepsi, Thums Up, and other loca=
l soft drinks. The main ingredients of all colas are water and sugar but so=
me manufacturers add citric and phosphoric acids to give that extra bite to=
human taste buds.
Yesterday a leading Indian agriculture analyst, Devinder Sharma, said: &quo=
t;I think Coke has found its right use. Farmers have traditionally used sug=
ary solutions to attract red ants to feed on insect larvae. "I think t=
he colas are also performing the same role." The properties of Coke ha=
ve been discussed for years. It has been reported that it is a fine lavator=
y cleaner, a good windscreen wipe and an efficient rust spot remover.
Uncorroborated reports from China claimed that the ill-fated New Coke was w=
idely used in China as a spermicide.
Yesterday a spokesman for Coca-Cola in Atlanta said: "We are aware of =
one isolated case where a farmer may have used a soft drink as part of his =
crop management routine.
"Soft drinks do not act in a similar way to pesticides when applied to=
the ground or crops. There is no scientific basis for this and the use of =
soft drinks for this purpose would be totally ineffective."
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Received on Wed Nov 03 2004 - 15:33:43 EST
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