Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)

Organic farming

A production system which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock food additives

MANAGEMENT OF SOIL FERTILITY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC TEA
IN
COLLABORATION WITH THE HILL ORTHODOX TEA ASSOCIATION (H.O.T.P.A.)

*Table of total tea production in Nepal
* table of Orthodox and CTC tea...........
* Photos of tea gardens of Dhankuta and Illam

Biofertilizers

MICROBIAL INOCULANTS
RHIZOBIA, BRADYRHIZOBIA, AZORHIZOBIA, SINORHIZOBIA,
AZOTOBACTER
TRICHODERMA VIRIDAE
BACILLUS MEGATHERIUM

*photograph 1. protein rich pulses
*photograph 2. Nitrogen fixation by various pulses
*photograph 3. root nodules
*Sketch module 4
* sketch module 5

Management of organic wastes at the site of generation by composting and vermicomposting

Wastes dumps

83% municipal, 11% agricultural, 6% industrial
0.225 – 0.5 kg of wastes /person/day
426,486 tons by about 3 million urban residents
mostly dumped in public places impact on environment, public health and economy

* photograph 6. traditional compost
* photograph 7. high value compost
* photographs 8 & 8' of organic wastes
* photograph 9. earthworms
* photograph 10. eggs of earthworms
* photograph 11. high value vermicompost

Table 1. Chemical analysis of vermicompost and local compost samples :

Sample number	pH	Nitrogen %	P 2O 5 kg/ha	K 2O kg/ha
Vermicompost 1.	7.5	3.96	2.07	8.28
Vermicompost 2.	8.1	1.88	1.75	5.24
Vermicompost 3.	7.5	2.55	2.10	7.25
Local compost 1.	7.3	0.77	0.75	6.07
Local compost 2.	6.9	0.45	0.52	3.78
Local compost 3.	7.0	0.68	0.34	2.02

USE OF COMPOST & VERMICOMPOST TEA FOR THE SUPRESSION OF PLANT DISEASES IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DIVISION OF PLANT PATHOLOGY, N.A.R.I.

Compost tea is a highly concentrated microbial solution produced by extracting beneficial microbes from vermicompost and or compost.

Compost tea provides:

Direct Nutrition

A source of foliar and soil organic nutrients.

Chelated micronutrients for easy plant absorption

Nutrients in a biologically available form for both plant and microbial uptake

Microbial Functions

compete with disease causing microbes

degrade toxic pesticides and other chemicals

produce plant growth hormones

mineralize plant available nutrients

fix nitrogen

plant surfaces are occupied by beneficial microbes leaving no room for pathogens to infect the plant (squatters rights)

Science faculty

TOTAL STAFF 24
(18% of the 130 total staff of RONAST)
SCIENTIFIC STAFF 17
NON SCIENTIFIC STAFF 7
PhD HOLDERS 6
Female staff 10

Research activities

Biotechnology

Biodiversity

Natural products chemistry

Environment

Molecular chracterization of
Medicinal plants
Tea clones
Bacillus thuriengensis

Preparation of camprehensive flora of Nepal:
Building capacity for plant biodiversity, inventory and conservation

Bioprospecting of:
Important medicinal
Aromatic plants of Nepal.

1. Water analysis:
Physical
Chemical
Microbial analysis of drinking water, ground water and milk.

2. Organic farming research on Recycling of organic wastes into organic fertilizers
Microbial inoculants
Biopesticides

Molecular diagnostic of citrus greening disease

Ectomycorrhiza & V.A.M. fungi for the conservation of soil.

Conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants

On farm research on Bio-pesticides

Analytical services

2. Arsenic detection in ground water of Terai region

Radiation hazard assessment

In hospitals and nursing homes of Nepal.