According to Ms. Alaine C. Banggad, a BS Agriculture graduate and team leader of the research project, Cerbascillum is made up of enzymes and good bacteria which when applied gives nutrients to the plants and improves the quality of the soil.

 “After foliar application in which nutrients are fed through the leaves, Cerbascillum also acts as decomposer that converts the raw materials in the soil as nutrients readily absorbed by the plants for better growth,” explained Banggad.

Banggad said that the ideal application for Cerbascillum is early in the morning before the sun rises. “Later than this would result in plant burn,” she said. It is also not advisable to apply it late in the afternoon or at night because it may become an attractant to nocturnal insects that may destroy the crops because of the sugar component of the foliar fertilizer.

Banggad said that Cerbascillum can be applied to all kinds of crops. A mix of Cerbascillum with unchlorinated water used for watering the plants every 12 days produce good results, she said. For severely degraded soil, once a week application is advised.

In the study conducted for the viability of the product in pechay, all testing areas were applied with Cerbascillum foliar fertilizer. They also applied organic soil formulated in three ways as basal fertilizer during the land preparation. The three types of organic soil used include the manually made and machine made premium organic soil, and vermi-compost.

Banggad said that based on the results, with or without organic basal fertilizer, all crops applied with Cerbascillum foliar fertilizer produced a good harvest. The highest yield, however, came from the combination of the manually prepared premium organic soil and Cerbascillum foliar fertilizer. As of writing, the research team will conduct a verification test by doing the same process on the same crop.

As to the quality of the pechay, Banggad said that based from the observations of the people who tasted the harvest from the testing area, the vegetable is juicier and more edible even raw. According to Banggad, it tastes sweeter and even children can eat it because it does not have an aftertaste typical to leafy greens. It is also softer when cooked and does not discolor, Banggad added.

The research team recommends the use of Cerbascillum to farmers who would like a higher yield without incurring higher costs, according to Banggad. The process and the foliar fertilizer used is 100% organic. However, they used seeds from certified seed producers hence they cannot claim that it is fully organic.

Banggad further said that Cerbascillum is being tested in other crops such as rice, papaya, and pakbet vegetables in the research area. Eventually, they will test the foliar and organic soil combination on high value crops.