The University of Georgia Costa Rica 2014-2015 Sustainability Report UGA Costa Rica 2014 - 2015 Sustainability Report | Page 42

Rica produces the natural cleaning agent called
Mountain Microorganisms (MM), or Local Effective
Microorganisms (LEM), used for cleaning campus
bathrooms, the stables, and the compost shed. To
make MM, semi-decomposed leaf matter from the
forest floor on campus is combined in a barrel with
molasses, yeast, whey, and charcoal. The anaerobic
environment in the barrel enables the microorganisms
found in the forest floor leaf litter to reproduce,
creating a highly concentrated collection of bacteria
and fungi to be used as a natural cleaning agent.
In 2014, under the direction of Dr. Dory Franklin in
UGA’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Laura
Ney and Kishan Mahmud began an extensive research
project centered around understanding the potential
use of MM applied to the soil in conjunction with a
fertilizer source, such as swine effluent or composted
chicken manure.
The project began with the completion of a solution
of MM in Athens, GA and on campus at UGACR.
The solution was then applied to 24 plots in the
greenhouse on campus and 12 plots near Athens,

Georgia, plots composed of grasses used for cattle
feed, including stargrass and annual ryegrass. The
main focus of this research is to examine the impact
of MM on agricultural production systems, specifically
the effect on nutrient cycling, nutrient availability
to plants, and changes in soil microbial community
structure, particularly ammonia oxidizers. It is
hypothesized that the addition of MM, through the
increased biomass of local microorganisms, will tie
up