Scientists say they have identified a strain of bacteria that increases the productivity of naturally manured fields, slashing the need for the mainland's huge use of chemical fertilisers 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. The Chinese have farmed organically using natural manure, such as animal waste and straw, for centuries but it is relatively inefficient. It can take years for nutrients in the manure to be broken down by microorganisms so they can feed crops. B acillus asahii accelerates this process. It was found in about 4 to 5 per cent of soil in a typical farm in northern China, the researchers said. It was a "nobody" when Lin's team started screening for candidate microorganisms to aid organic farming more than two decades ago. But the bacterium was "steadily promoted from solider to general" as the results came in, Lin said. If the bacterium was found in over 40 per cent of a soil's content, it became much more productive, the researchers said. "This is something that no other bacterium can do. This is definitely the style of a 'dominator'," Lin said. Zhang Jiabao, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Soil Science in Nanjing and the chief scientist of a national research programme on agricultural soil, said the work by Lin and his team was of national significance. "More than a dozen agricultural counties in Henan province have already started this organic transformation using the results from the study, with very impressive yields," he said. "If propagated throughout the northern plains, the technology would dramatically reduce the use of chemical fertilisers in China, which will solve a lot of environmental and economic issues." But one expert was sceptical that farmers would revert to organic methods. The biologist at China Agricultural University in Beijing, who asked not to be named, said chemical fertilisers were quick and cheap and there was little incentive for farmers to wait for two years or more for fields to become fully productive by encouraging the spread of the bacterium. Makers of chemical fertilisers still had the upper hand, he said. "Their biggest weapon is low price. It's possible to produce chemicals cheaper than organic manure." Lin admitted that a two- to four-year wait for full productivity may be too long for farmers and they were trying to shorten the time taken for the bacterium to help increase yields.