Abstract:
Indigenous Microorganisms Fertilizer is organic fertilizer containing microorganisms
which contribute to the soil structure and humification. The IMO has great potential
in supporting Natural Farming in Malaysia. This study was carried out to isolate and
identify the types of microorganisms present in Malaysian IMO for natural farming
processes. Isolation of the microorganisms were carried out at every step IMO
fertilizer preparation and the identification of isolates were determined based on their
morphological and biochemical characteristics. Results on the microbe(s) isolated
from each step of IMO preparation are Aspergillus nfger from IMO 1; Saccharomyces
sp. from IM02; Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas putida, Klebsiella pneumonia
and Serratia marcescens from IM03; Weeksella virosa and Enterobacter aerogenes
from IM04 and Enterobacter sakazaki and Lactobacillus casei from IM05. The
microorganisms identified can be grouped into four types: Photosynthetic bacteria,
Lactic acid bacteria, yeast and fungus. From this study, it can be suggested that not the
overall number of microorganisms in IMO that matters for Natural Farming processes
but the interactive relationship between microorganisms is the most important aspect.
