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Ghana Jeevamrutham (solid jeevamrutham)

Ghana jeevamrutham is the solid, broadcast-applied counterpart of Jeevamrutham Drava (liquid jeevamrutham), used in Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF) and the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme. It functions as a slow-release microbial inoculant applied directly to soil rather than as a foliar or fertigation spray.

Composition

The preparation combines:

  • Desi cow dung (the principal microbial source)
  • Jaggery (microbial energy source)
  • Pulse flour or besan (nitrogen and amino-acid source)
  • Native or bund soil (additional microbial diversity)
  • Sometimes mixed with crop residue or compost

The wet mixture is shaped into pellets, cakes or crumbs and dried in shade until friable. The cured solid stores well for several weeks.

Mode of action

Once incorporated into moist soil, the dried microbial culture rehydrates and the resident populations (including diazotrophs, phosphate solubilisers and saprophytic fungi) re-establish in the rhizosphere. Combined with adequate carbon (typically supplied by mulch and crop residue) the inoculum is intended to enhance soil microbial biomass and nutrient cycling. Jeevamrutham is not an NPK fertiliser; it does not deliver crop-scale nutrient quantities but seeds and stimulates the soil microbial community.

Target use and dose

Broadcast as a basal application before sowing or transplanting at rates that vary by recipe and crop, often 200-1000 kg per acre alongside a heavy mulch cover. It is also used as a planting-pit amendment for orchard establishment. Repeated drava jeevamrutham drenches sustain microbial activity through the season.

Adoption context

Used widely under the APCNF/RySS Andhra Pradesh natural farming programme and similar state-supported natural farming initiatives in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and elsewhere. Documented benefits in independent trials are mixed and depend strongly on baseline soil organic matter; the preparation is best understood as a microbial-inoculant component of a broader natural-farming system, not as a stand-alone fertiliser.

See also: Jeevamrutham Drava, Jeevamrutham Orchard Input, Panchagavya, Fym Farmyard Manure, Microbial Biofertilizers.

References

  1. Organic Fertilizer (Jeevamrit) and Beejamrit. LI-BIRD.
  2. Agriculture Department - APCNF Practices. West Godavari District, Government of Andhra Pradesh.