'Napoleon' bug that could help do battle against water pollution in China

Mainland scientists say they have identified a type of bacteria in soil that makes organic farming much more efficient, hugely cutting the need for chemical fertilisers that are polluting the country's waterways.

The researchers said that if high levels of the microorganism were encouraged to thrive on land fertilised with organic manure, the fields could become highly productive in two years. That compares with up to the eight years it can take for naturally manured fields to reach similar levels of productivity as those treated with chemical fertilisers.

Lin Xiangui, the chief scientist of the study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, described the organism as a "Napoleon" bacterium.

Only low levels of the organism were found in soil in China, meaning its influence was limited, like the early career of the French general, he said. But if the microorganism, bacillus asahii, was propagated in fields, it could lead a revolution against chemical fertilisers, like Napoleon sweeping across Europe. "It's just waiting for its time for domination," he said.

A report produced by agricultural scientists at Renmin University in 2010 said China needed to cut its reliance on chemical fertilisers by half because excessive use was causing serious pollution and environmental degradation. A study by the Ministry of Environmental Protection two years ago said an average of 318kg of fertilisers was used on each hectare of land in China, more than double the world average.

The scientists' findings on the bacterium were published in the academic journal Soil Biology and Biochemistry. Researchers have been working on the project for more than two decades.

The widespread use of chemical fertilisers began in China in the 1980s. Farmers were attracted by their speed in producing higher yields and low cost.