Going green in the greenhouse

Greenhouse Effect is a pretty well heard term on the news, but do you know the origination of the term?  The concept of a greenhouse dates back to the Roman times, with the first Greenhouse built in the 13th Century, then known as “giardini botanici “to preserve exotic plants that the explorers brought back from the tropics.

The concept is simple; a structure where the walls and roof are made of transparent materials. Sun rays pass through the transparent walls and roof warming up the air and contents inside the greenhouse which on getting warmer re-emit the heat but this re-radiated heat from them cannot pass through glass again since they are of a longer wavelength, hence the temperature inside rises.

The need to protect the crops against unfavorable natural conditions prompted the advancement of protective cultivation. Greenhouses have got the extravagant of farmers, with their yields being safe from the evil impacts of climate, for example, untimely rain, hail, temperature fluctuations, etc. Under the National Horticulture Mission, farmers are being given subsidies to use greenhouses. Greenhouse development has turned into an essential approach of Indian Agriculture. Progressive farmers have achieved manifold increase in their yield and income by switching over to unconventional agricultural techniques like organic and poly house farming.  A greenhouse set up on one acre costs about 36 lakhs, out of which 65 per cent is granted as subsidy by Horticulture Department of Central and State Governments and a farmer has to bear an expenditure of about 12 lakhs.

The total production of vegetables in India is next to China, but per capita availability of vegetables is much lower than required, therefore, it is utmost necessary to improve the productivity of crops including vegetables. Steaming is just a fleeting solution; it loses its effectiveness every year. Pests and pathogens recuperate more rapidly every time. Steaming results in exhaustion, the increasing costs of fossil fuel, and the effects on the environment make it necessary to find a different approach. Steaming results in exhaustion, the increasing costs of fossil fuel, and the effects on the environment make it necessary to find a different approach.

With all the other climatic issues secured, the only door left to close is the one belonging to pests and pathogens, where Silver Hydrogen Peroxide emerges as the most effective gate keeper. Due to intensive soil management practices, soils in greenhouses are exhausted and very conducive to soil borne pathogens.  The most prominent fungal pathogens are Sclerotinia sp., Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea and Pythium sp. The first three are able to produce sclerotia, by which they can survive in soil for many years requiring their timely disinfection. Effective beforehand soil disinfection with Silver Hydrogen Peroxide proves advantageous in many ways. Initial soil fumigation with silver hydrogen peroxide before plantation, moreover treatment by drip method is more effective in greenhouses.

Chemtex Speciality Limited globally markets Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide made from a combination of Hydrogen Peroxide IP and Nano Silver particles, under the registered trade name of Alstasan Silvox.

Revolution in Organic Farming with Silver Hydrogen Peroxide based Alstasan Silvox

The word organic has gained substantial attention in recent years, but why? People are literally done with the usage of synthetic chemicals which act fast but we, humans, those at the end of the line pay heavy fine.

Nano silver based Hydrogen Peroxide might sound heavy in name, but is completely nontoxic and eco-friendly in nature. Meeting all the demands of being natural, and bringing a revolution in the field of organic farming. Needless to say, water and oxygen are both nontoxic. And, the remaining silver has been proven to be way below toxic levels, and is only beneficial to everyone; like increasing the shelf life of fruits with its anti-senescence property, disinfection with the antimicrobial property, and many more to follow.

The prime characteristics that are required to be fulfilled for organic farming and how are they met with silver hydrogen peroxide! Without altering any basic characteristics of the soil, it protects soil fertility. Harvesting supplements and traditional methods like vermicomposting (i.e., with earthworms) are not hampered with its usage.

Being nontoxic, the natural waste products can still be reused, without hindering the natural crop cycles. Minimal thermal, biological, and chemical mediation is allowed, which are all met with silver peroxide; it is a cold sterilant, nontoxic on mammalian/ macro level, and eco friendly leaving behind no unwanted chemical reaction.

One of the many applications of this biodegradable disinfectant includes safe sanitation of animal husbandries, which help in preventing animal related diseases, paying full attention to their housing, health and development. Above went the tamed ones, what about the untamed or wildlife; well, silver hydrogen peroxide does not impair the natural harmony/ balance between the living species.

Still thinking where to get, look no further!

Chemtex Speciality Limited globally markets Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide made from a combination of Hydrogen Peroxide IP and Nano Silver particles, under the registered trade name of Alstasan Silvox.

- See more at: http://www.silverhydrogenperoxide.com

ALSTASAN Silvox - Crop Pest Management at Salon Agriculture 2017 Paris

The Salon de l’agriculture organizes Paris International Agricultural Show at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles every year. And this year the grand opening of Salon International Agriculture Expo saw home coming of a host of exhibitionists, technologists, agriculturists, farmers and students who shared their knowledge on the “Theme 2017: Farming: A Passion, A Set of Ambitions”. The Paris International Agricultural Show is committed to take long view of farming, bringing together sectors, stakeholders in these sectors and members of the general public. For this 54th edition of the show, they decided to continue lending support to all of the professions in the sector, and accommodate to provide visitors and consumers alike with an overall insight into farming.

One aspect of such discussion was HACKATHON: Focus on Responsible Agricultural Practices by the Bonduelle Group, who emphasized on healthily and sustainably feeding the planet while preserving the resources and the quality of the soils. With the constantly evolving agricultural world and increase in the best practices of mechanical and thermal weeding, sustainable chemical disinfection and pest control, mechanical insect traps, observation drones for better crop management etc., the farmers with significant know-how on such matters shared their views. As part of its overall reflection on the Group CSR strategy, Bonduelle gathered for nearly 2 days, farmers, and co-workers from various departments, consumers and business people to jointly brainstorm on how to promote responsible agricultural practices and accordingly last December, they organized a Hackathon with the objective to promote responsible agricultural practices among consumers.

 

One of the participating groups quite elaborately discussed the judicious use of chemical pesticides to reduce damage to crops and also reduce the ultimate environmental and health impacts of the pesticides as encouraged by Bonduelle. On one such note, the presenters highlighted a new chemical pest control technology in the form of Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide based Agricultural Disinfectant and Pesticide. It is here that ALSTASAN Silvox was mentioned as a globally accepted eco-friendly all purpose pesticide owing to its superior quality and efficacy at eliminating almost all types of agricultural pests and pathogens.

 

ALSTASAN Silvox’s eco-friendly formulation decomposes into water and oxygen increasing soil life and crop yield without any signs of phytotoxicity. It does not leave poisonous residues and does not require flushing with water. Silver has been shown to have anti-senescence property which likewise expands shelf life of usability of products of the soil.

The important characteristics of ALSTASAN Silvox are:

·         It is colorless, odorless, and biodegradable and 100% eco-friendly

·         Multifunctional with wide range applications

·         Multi-media sanitation (Irrigation Water, Soil Surface and Foliar lamina)

·         Nontoxic, breaking into water and oxygen and no other toxic residues

·         Cold sterilant (Does not require any heat for disinfection)

·         Non foaming formulation

·         No Rinse product (Does not require rinsing with water)

Benefits to Grower

·         Saves time, energy and manpower and improves crop economics

·         Media fumigation can be done even only 4 (four) hours before plantation

·         Stable over a wide pH and temperature range

·         Does not release toxic fumes and harmful gases

·         Does not require water rinsing after disinfection

·         Soil does not need to be covered with plastic unlike formalin method

·         Safe and nontoxic to humans

·         Non carcinogenic

·         Non mutagenic

·         Minimizes the use of harmful fungicides, pesticides, and bactericides

·         Can be used for regular treatment by drip, foliar sprays, and drenching methods

Benefits to Soil / Growing Media

·         Destroys all fungi, bacteria, viruses and pest populations in soil or media

·         Kills even eggs and larval stage of insects-pests

·         Eco-friendly and biodegradable, breaking down to water and oxygen

·         Improves soil / media porosity

·         Adds more oxygen to soil profile

·         Improves water uptake capacity and capillary action

·         Does not leave behind toxic residues 

·         Prevents and treats nematode infestations

·         Increases soil/ Coco peat/ other media life

Benefits to Crop

·         Increases plant establishment and reduces initial plant mortality

·         Hastens seed germination and enhance crop growth by boosting fresh root formation

·         Works as a crop activator which enables it to fight against diseases

·         Denaturation of DNA helps against pest resistance development 

·         Increases both production and marketable yield

·         Silver has an anti-senescence property which prevents ageing of fruits and vegetables

·         Helps in Ethylene inhibition

·         Does not have phyto-toxic effect on other crops

·         Does not cause spotting on flowers and affect taste of fruits and vegetables

·         Improves luster of the produce along with extension of shelf-life

 

Being eco-friendly and bio-degradable, the blend of hydrogen peroxide with silver makes it effective & hassle free solution to all plant pathogen related problems. A high LD₅₀ value makes it nontoxic while its fast action and zero phytotoxicity, makes it effective at reducing the time between soil fumigation and plantation from the conventional 3 weeks to just 4-6 hours.

ALSTASAN Silvox finds wide usage in fields of open field cultivation for growing apples, grapes, corn, radish, potatoes, etc., to protective cultivation of apricots, oranges, capsicum, etc. It finds a huge use in floriculture where it not only treats microbial infections but the silver in hydrogen peroxide also increases the shelf life of cut flowers, thereby increasing their market value.

Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide benefits over Hydrogen Peroxide with Silver Nitrate

Silver has been known for its antimicrobial activity since the Roman times, from storing liquids in silver vessels to treating wounded soldiers in World War I; it has always been a prominent figure in this field. 

Silver hydrogen peroxide is prepared by combining the powerful hydrogen peroxide and antibacterial silver. But conventional preparations of the same include the usage of silver nitrate salt for providing Ag-ions.

Recent advancements!

Nanotechnology has flourished in the recent times, leading to its increased number of applications in daily life. Silver ions in the size range of 10-100nm are classified as nano particles. Gaining attention in the recent years, AgNP (Silver Nano particles) can be shaped in accordance to its purpose. From simple spheres to complex diamond ones, the applications of nano-Ag are endless. Powerful than the bigger forms because of their large surface area to volume ratio, increasing the number of Ag ions released per unit mass of silver, thereby involving more ions for the cellular destruction process.

The conventional silver nitrate form of silver administration finds it hard to cope with the nano particles mainly, owing to their small size, nano-Ag particles attach themselves to the cellular membrane interrupting with the permeability and metabolic pathways of the cell. Moreover, their action is not limited to the membranes, but bind to the DNA inside preventing its replication.

Nano silver in Silver Hydrogen Peroxide functions in a variety of ways:

     

• ·         Stabilizes the hydrogen peroxide
• ·         Activates hydrogen peroxide only after dilution
• ·         Destroys further production of enzymes required for cellular metabolism
• ·         DNA structure is rearranged and destroyed, rendering microbes incapable of multiplying

 Chemtex Speciality Limited globally markets Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide made from a combination of Hydrogen Peroxide IP and Nano Silver particles, under the registered trade name of Alstasan Silvox.

How Hydrogen Peroxide and Silver Nitrate used in Hospital Disinfection?

Human health and well being is the most quintessential aspect in the end. And hospitals cater to our needs when in times of distress. Why not then take adequate measures to keep those premises clean and sanitized reducing the chances of nosocomial infections.

Excess patient overload in emergency service areas mean that poor attention is paid to thorough cleaning and disinfection, which otherwise would require closing the concerned area.

Air borne microorganisms spread rapidly owing to the vastness of the medium. Pathogens like Bacillus anthrax, Varicella zoster, Orthomyxo virus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is spread rapidly through air with the currents and settle on the most unwanted crevices, reproducing and colonizing.

Infection control in Operation Theatres (OT), Intensive Care Units (ICU), and other critical care areas is achieved with this effective multipurpose hydrogen peroxide and silver reaction product functioning as an effective biocide. Silver hydrogen peroxide at a recommended concentration is fumigated using a Fogger to disinfect a particular area to minimize the risk of outside contaminations. Upon settling down, these aerosol droplets reveal their effect. The other eco-friendly properties assist in reducing the other demerits of the conventional methods.

The surface sanitation is dependent upon the intended usage, divided into critical items like surgical ones that come in contact with sterile tissues, semi critical like the ones contacting mucous membranes, and non critical ones that contact intact skin. With their desired use, the hierarchy changes from high to low, respectively. Methods of application are many, from spraying on surfaces, to running the solution in pipes for CIP systems.

Chemtex Speciality Limited globally markets Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide as an effective hospital disinfectant made from a combination of Hydrogen Peroxide IP and Nano Silver particles, under the registered trade name of Alstasan Silvox.

How to effectively control Nematodes in the field with Silver Hydrogen Peroxide?

Managing nematodes has never been easy. Already existing infestation can be taken care of by methods like crop rotation, fallowing and soil solarization. But the most reliable practices are preventive, involving sanitation and choice of plant varieties.

Among the disinfecting methods, farmers apply organic chemicals like neem cake, neem oil and others but these have been found to be harmful and leave behind toxic residues.

Looking for a non-toxic and long lasting solution for combating nematodes? We have the perfect answer to your queries!

Soil treatment with Silver Hydrogen Peroxide has been found to be more effective and leaves a long lasting effect against nematodes. Chemtex Speciality Limited has formulated Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide that has an upper hand to conventional Hydrogen Peroxide with Silver Nitrate.

Silver Nano Particles:

• Attaches itself to the surface of the cell membrane, interrupting permeability and metabolic pathways of the cell
• Not only interact with the membrane surface, but can also penetrate the bacterial cell membrane.
• In addition, they can bind to the DNA inside the microbial cells, preventing its replication.
• It has been discovered that nano Ag particles can damage the bacterial cell membrane structure and reduce the activity of some membranous enzymes.

Chemtex Speciality Limited globally markets Nano Silver Hydrogen Peroxide made from a combination of Hydrogen Peroxide IP and Nano Silver particles, under the registered trade name of Alstasan Silvox.

Silvox for Aquaculture Disinfection

Aquaculture sector, primarily those of Limnoculture (Freshwater fishes) and Vannamei culture (Freshwater shrimps) extensively use disinfectants in their farms for bio-security as well as routine cleaning processes. They are used to inactivate potential pathogenic microbes on equipment surface, tanks, ponds and clothing. Sometimes they are also used to disinfect gametes particularly ova. Disinfectants are necessary during decontamination operations after the outbreak of notifiable diseases like Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA), Spring Viraemia of Carp (SVC) or Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS) etc. Regardless of widespread and effective use of disinfectants, the criterion for their choice and application is greatly determined by several contributing factors.

Commercially available disinfectants mostly contain blend of chemicals and stabilizers that can have broad spectrum application or selective compositions of chemicals for specific target pathogens. Chemical disinfection of water and equipments is a critical task owing to the after effects and environmental impacts of the reagents themselves, both in the aquaculture system as well as in natural waters. The need gradually shifted to wide spectrum biodegradable nontoxic cost friendly disinfectants; those that pathogens cannot adapt to or develop immunity. The best choice for this is the use of Oxidizing Disinfectants. These are chemicals that indifferently oxidize organic matter in water. Thus their mode of disinfection is oxidation of pathogen cell wall, cell membrane and cytoplasm. Of all the types of oxidizing agents, Peroxides, particularly in the form of Silver Hydrogen Peroxide has found widespread application as an efficient aquaculture disinfectant.

The disinfectant properties of H₂O₂ have been popularly discussed and applied in recent years. Synergized with nano-silver, the stabilized AgH₂O₂ is an excellent disinfectant that is active over a wide spectrum of microscopic as well as macroscopic pathogens. Its versatility as a pathogen cleaner and soil remover makes it an ideal choice for disinfecting water tanks, small ponds and incubation chambers. It is most suitable for gear disinfection as well as application in raceway ponds and tanks with or without water. Its low toxicity towards higher aquatic fauna makes it ideal for treatment during spread of diseases within the aquarium systems.

Silver stabilized H₂O₂ at even low concentrations have significantly high disinfecting properties against a wide range of pathogens compared to identical concentrations of other commercial disinfectants. In addition, H₂O₂ has no traceable toxicity towards fish eggs and most cultivated fish. It rapidly degrades releasing nascent oxygen that kills the pathogens leaving no toxic environmental residue. It is non corrosive to tank materials and cost friendly. In addition, Silver itself has certain bactericidal properties by attacking bacterial DNA material.

A comparison of requisite properties of an ideal disinfectant suggests supremacy of AgH₂O₂ as an aquaculture Disinfectant:

Wide spectrum antibacterial activity - Effective against all kinds of bacteria, viruses, yeast, mould
 and spore formers

Low toxicity and non-residue formulation -   Has no toxic effect in its diluted state, Environmentally friendly - practically 100% degradable, breaking down to water and oxygen

Stable and non corrosive - Highly effective over long periods even at very high water temperatures, Low corrosive effect

Cost effective - Equipment and operation costs are low

Chemtex’s Alstasan Silvox is an ideally formulated Silver Hydrogen Peroxide disinfectant that can easily and efficiently cater to all types of disinfection needs of the Aquaculture Sectors.