Entwicklung, in-house Validierung und Praxiserprobung eines Biotests mit Gartenkresse zur Erfassung der Pflanzenreaktionen nach Behandlungen mit dem biologisch-dynamischen Hornmistpräparat
*Fritz, J. (2015): Universität Kassel, Fachgebiet Ökologischer Land- und Pflanzenbau.
The question concerning the efficiency of small amounts of substances is a current topic. A medicinal germination test has been developed to examine low amounts of substances in the laboratory. This germination test has been used to determine the effect of common quantity of the biodynamic horn manure preparation on garden cress. The result of the pretest show a significant influence caused by the preparation but the repeatability was not given. Due to this fact the running project aims to improve this test for biodynamic preparations and validate it according to the standard USP 1033…
The question of the influence of high diluted compounds on life organisms is of particular relevance today. In medicine, allergic phenomena are an increasing problem and in environmental science the toxicity by high diluted pollutants is demonstrated. In plant physiology the sensitivity towards bioactive compounds as phytohormones or semiochemicals was described up to very low concentrations.
This knowledge throws new light on the application of the biodynamic preparations in agriculture. A characteristic of these preparations is indeed that they are brought out in very low concentrations. They are admitted for the biological agriculture through the regulation EU VO 834 (28/06/2007) and are used predominantly on farms of the Demeter Association. However, they can be used in principle for all farms: in particular, they are applied for quality improvement in a lot of vineyards that are no member of the Demeter Association.
Effects of high diluted compounds are not simple to study, particularly in natural conditions like in field-grown tests because of the multiple factors affecting the reproducibility of the results. Therefore, standardized biotests were developed under lab conditions. Their biggest advantage lies in their repeatability. Till present, however, such biotests were hardly considered for the biodynamic research.
In own preliminary tests the potential of a lab test to establish the effectiveness of the horn manure preparation with practice-usual concentrations was researched. This biotest with garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) was developed originally for the examinations of high diluted compounds in the medicine. The results of these preliminary investigations showed statistically significant influences of the horn manure preparation. These influences were stable during months and the sensitivity of the biotest was therefore proved. But the repeatability of these influences was not guaranteed in other time periods.
The objectives of the project are the further development of the biotest particularly regarding its reproducibility, to validate it as a lab test for the horn manure preparation through the directives USP 1033 and, at last, to evaluate for a practice-oriented question.