The discovery was announced during a NIFS workshop in Colombo.

Research on this regard was initiated due to prevailing health issues in the country such as the kidney disease, which is occurring due to the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides.

Speaking, Prof. Gamini Seneviratne of the NIFS said that this new find will enable to overcome the historic mistake of using chemical fertilizers, which began with the green revolution.

The new find, developed for the tea, paddy, coconut and corn plantations, can cut down the chemical fertilizer use by 50% while increasing yields upto 40%. Therefore, it is highly profitable for farmers, he added.

It addition this Rhizobial inoculant is a natural pesticide and weedicide, he further said.