Effective Microorganism - Validation

Validation

The Effective Microorganisms (EM) concept is considered controversial in some quarters and there is no scientific evidence to support all of its proponents' claims. This is acknowledged by Higa in a 1994 paper co-authored by Higa and soil microbiologist James F Parr, a USDA Research, they conclude in that, "the main limitation...is the problem of reproducibility and lack of consistent results.".

Parr and Higa mention soil pH, shading, soil temperature and flooding as factors affecting the interaction of EM with local microbiological organisms, and with each other. The philosophical approach that Higa and Parr invoke is the maintaining of pH and soil temperature within conditions known to be detrimental to negative microorganisms as well as the addition of EM to favorably tip the balance of positive and negative microorganisms in favor of the positive microorganisms.

For these reasons the two proponents of the technology (Higa and Parr) dismiss "silver bullet" beneficial microorganism inoculants that are only a single microorganism (single strain/single genus) as generally ineffective due to the host of uncertainty about the conditions a single microorganism would be effective in. They cite the scientific acknowledgment of the scientific community that multiple microorganisms (as in the case of Bokashi, invented and marketed by Higa) in coordination with good soil management practices positively influence soil microorganisms and plant growth and yield. They call for additional research to develop more information on soil microorganisms and their interactions.

Recently, peer reviewed research is coming out on the technology. Many of the claims are being put to the test. An example is a paper written by Myint Lwini and S. L. Ranamukhaarachchi. The paper discusses biological controls of bacterial wilt disease and showed that application of EM and EM Bokashi were most-effective as bio-control agents. Other articles, such as those by Yamada and Xu examine the use of EM in making organic fertilizers. Hui-Lian Xu has been researching Effective Microorgnisms for several years. Some of his research has been on photosynthesis and yield of sweet corn, Physiological characteristics in peanuts, and fruit yield and quality of tomato plants. Others are also looking at pre-harvest and post-harvest applications of EM-1.

Many of the earlier peer reviewed papers were on EM-X Rice Bran Supplement, a product sold for human consumption. These papers include papers written by Chui, CH, Datla, KP, and Ke B. Most of this research was on the antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory effects, and effects on various forms of cancers.

The use of EM in the bokashi intensive composting process for home kitchen waste has been in use in Christchurch, New Zealand for several years, backed by the local city council, and its use as a plant fertilizer is beginning to be researched locally.

None of these papers seem to give any real evidence for positive effects of EM.