<p>The University of Guyana has been engaged in work which will see the institution playing an important role in meeting the needs of farmers through innovation and technology to address the growing concerns of fertilizer costs and environmental issues plaguing the agricultural sector.</p>

<p>Ms. Cristel Jack from the Department of Biology under the supervision of Prof. Raymond Jagessar, Department of Chemistry, has developed a natural fertilizer called ‘Unutrox’. Unutrox is made from an aqueous plant extract. It was used in a six-week study to determine its effectiveness on tomato plants when compared with chemical fertilizers (NPK 10-30-20).</p>

<p>As part of her findings, Ms. Jack explained: “With the use of natural fertilizers, tomato plants produce more yield than those treated with chemical fertilizers, but the plants that were treated with the chemical fertilizer grew larger.”</p>

<p>She added: “In the third week of the experiment, the tomatoes were attacked by a disease. It was&nbsp;observed that the plants treated with the natural fertilizers were more resistant to the disease.”</p>

<p>The innovators expressed hope that the relevant stakeholders will appreciate the value of the project as a game-changer in the fertilizer industry.&nbsp;</p>
