Sakarta Chili on Living Soil🌶️: A Field Note from the Fair Trade for Living Soil Movement

Introduction

KhaiEL from Germany and INO from Malaysia are jointly promoting the Fair Trade for Living Soil movement. This initiative seeks to enhance plant immunity and self-recovery through the concept of complete nutrition — reducing disease pressure while improving both yield and quality. The following record captures part of our agronomists’ ongoing cultivation work across farms nationwide. These field experiences are not experiments, but continuous learning processes with the soil, the crops, and the growers — a dialogue where each adjustment deepens our understanding of how plants sustain their own vitality.

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Cultivation Notes on Sakarta Chili

Planting start date ：2025-08-11

Date of record ：2025-10-23

Recorded by : Agronomist Brandon Saw

During the cultivation of Sakarta chili, INO Guard was applied three times as part of our regular nutrition program. In the field, we observed a steady recovery — diseased leaves diminished, leaf color turned bright and healthy, and new growth appeared clean and resilient. To an experienced grower, such changes signal that the plant’s internal balance has been restored, and its natural defense rhythm is once again in motion.

🔽Disease Affected Trees Before Applying INO Guard

Chili plant leaves showing signs of leaf spot disease, characterized by dark, irregular patches.

Chili peppers on the plant display a distinct curling shape, indicative of disease, while surrounded by spotted leaves.

🔽Observation After Applying INO Guard

While leaf health improved, a subtle yet meaningful change appeared — the fruits became slightly slimmer and lighter, even though their length remained consistent. This shift reflects a change in nutrient distribution within the plant. Based on field assessment, two main factors were identified:

1. The plants were entering a mature phase with reduced nutrient absorption;

2. The EC (electrical conductivity) level of the nutrient solution was below optimal, limiting nutrient availability during fruit expansion.

The chili peppers became slightly slimmer and lighter, even though their length remained consistent, with adult palm for size comparison.

Accordingly, we adjusted the management practice — increasing the EC level and applying moderate pruning to reduce fruit load and allow the plant to focus its resources. This change was not merely technical; it was a way of working with the plant’s natural rhythm. When given space and balanced nutrition, the plant reorients itself toward recovery and strength.

During this period, two newly planted batches of Sakarta chili were also observed — the 45-day-old plants had begun flowering, while the 31-day-old ones were still in their vegetative phase. The contrast between these stages highlights how each growth phase carries its own pace and need. As cultivators, our task is not to control this rhythm, but to accompany and guide it toward balance.

🔽The 31-day-old three were still in their vegetative phase

🔽The 45-day-old plants had begun flowering

The essence of crop management lies not only in adjusting numbers, but in understanding the rhythm of life. Through this season’s Sakarta chili cultivation, we were once again reminded that when nutrition and environment reach harmony, plants respond with health in their own language.