A common question is, what do the microorganisms in EM do? There is not a short answer to this, however a key activity is the breakdown of organic matter and enhancing nutrient uptake.
There are many other activities, one such is the production of what are called, plant growth regulators- PGR. One of the more commonly discussed PGRs are Gibberellins which is the core ingredient of a product like Progibb.
What are they?
These PGR’s are hormones, and have an important role in plant growth. Plant hormones are produced naturally by plants and are essential for regulating their own growth. They act by controlling or modifying plant growth processes, such as formation of leaves and flowers, elongation of stems, development and ripening of fruit.
In modern agriculture, people have established the benefits of extending the use of plant hormones to regulate growth of other plants. When natural or synthetic substances used in this manner, they are called Plant Growth Regulators.
PGRs present in EM
The microbial species listed here in this table, are all present in EM, and have all been shown to produce various PGR’s as published. Note that GA stands for Giberellic Acids and Ethylene, a naturally occurring substance, which was one of the first plant growth regulators to be discovered and used successfully for enhancing ripening in fruit.
