Soil In Coirpith

SYMPTOMS AND ITS MANAGEMENT

The salient findings of a major project on soil fertility investigation covering the entire Kerala are listed below:

1. Soil acidification has emerged as a major problem for the productivity of most crop plants. Ninety percent of the soils suffer from acidity and fifty per cent is strongly to extremely acidic in reaction. Intervention is to ensure the application of liming materialon regular basis to bring the soils to near neutral reaction and restore the productivity of soils.

2. Indiscriminate application of phosphatic fertilizer over a long period had resulted in high levels of P in soils of Kerala which interfere with the plant uptake of other essential nutrients by the crop plants. The application of

Every year , approximately 2.5lakh tonnes of coirpith accumulate in Kerala as waste. Coirpith has wide C:N ratio & its lignin rich nature does not permit natural composting process as in other agricultural wastes. Mushrooms belonging to the genus Pleurotus have the capacity to degrade part of the cellulose & lignin present in coirpith by production of enzymes such as cellulases & lactases, bringing down the C:N ratio as well as lignin content.

Method of composting:

Material required=> Coirpith 1tonne, urea 5g, mushroom(Pleurotus) spawn 1.5kg.

1. A shaded place of 5m x 3m dimension may be selected & levelled after removing weeds.

2. 100kg coirpith may be spread uniformly.

3. Spread 300g of Pleurotus spawn on this & cover with a second layer of 100kg coirpith.

4. On the surface of the second layer, spread 1kg urea uniformly.

5. Repeat this sandwitching process of one layer of coirpith with spawn followed by another layer of coirpith with urea up to 1m height.

6. Allow the heap to decompose for one month.

7. The coirpith is converted into good manure after 30-40 days & the lignin content is reduced from 30% - 40%. Another significant change is the lowering down of C:N ratio from 112:1-

2) Mix it with jaggery and keep it in an air tight jar or container for 15-25 days.

3) After 25 days open the jug & filter it through a cotton cloth. This extract is FAA.

Dosage for bitter gourds = 1-2ml/L as foliar spray.

B) Panchagavya

Preparation:

Cow dung -7kg & cow ghee-1kg are mixed in a clean container thoroughly both in morning & evening hrs & kept aside for 3 days. After 3 days, cow urine-10litres & water- 10litres are added. The mixture is kept for 15 days with regular mixing both in morning & evening hrs. After 15 days, add cow milk-3litres, cow curd- 2litres, tender coconut water- 3litres, jiggery- 3kg & well ripened poovan banana- 12nos. Panchagavya can be prepared in a wide mouthed mud pot or concrete tank or plastic can.

Precautions:

a) Keep the container open under shade.

b) Stir the container twice a day both in morning & evening.

c) The Panchagavya stock solution will be ready after 30 days.

d) Do not mix buffalo products.

It is stored in shade covered with a wire mesh or plastic mosquito net to prevent houseflies from laying eggs & the formation of maggots in the