Coir pith compost

Coir pith compost

1. WELCOME

2. Coir pith compost

3. What is coir pith? Def : It is the waste of coir industry, which is an excellent soil conditioner and is being extensively used as a soil-less medium for Agri -horticultural purposes. High lignin content and wider C:N ratio, so it’s use in agriculture is limited.

4. Required materials Organic waste materials Inorganic waste materials

5. 1.Organic waste materials Materials Quantity( per ha) Green leaves/ biomass 100kg Weeds 100kg Cattle dung 200kg Pleurotus fungi culture 1kg

6. 2.Inorganic waste materials Materials Quantity (per Ha) Rock phosphate 50kg Ferrous sulphate 8kg Zinc sulphate 900gm Manganese sulphate 600gm Copper sulphate 75gm Agricultural lime 5kg Urea 5kg

7. Preliminary treatment The pH of the material is stabilized around neutrality by sprinkling lime solution over the coir dust one day prior to composting. The lime solution is prepared by dissolving 5kg of lime in 20 lits of water. Select a flat impervious site for composting, shade may be provided.

8. Steps in composting

9. 1.Construction of tank 6m x 3m x 1-1.5m height tanks using bricks or stone slabs or coconut fronds.

10. 2.Spreading of coir pith 1000kg of preliminary treated coir dust is spread to 4-5cm thickness on the floor of the tank.

11. 3.Spread P leurotus Spread half bottle Pleurotus uniformly over the coir pith layer.

12. 4. Spread Glyricidia Over this layer spread chopped Glyricidia spp or sunhemp .

13. 5.Spread Rock phosphate Spread 50kg of rock phosphate uniformly over this layer

14. 6. Mixture Mix micronutrients sources with cattle dung slurry and sprinkle uniformly.

15. This forms a single set of layers. These layers are repeated till the heap attains 1-1.5m ht. Cover the heap with slurry of wet soil. Turn the heap at 45 th and 90 th days after filling. Maintain 60% moisture from the beginning to till completion of composting process. Compost will be ready to use at the end of 4 th month.

16. Compost maturity Compost matures around 60 days. Turns from brown to black colour . Heap height will be reduced by 30%. Emits earthy odour .

17. Composition of raw and composted coir pith Composition Raw coir pith Composted coir pith N % 0.26 1.18 P % 0.025 0.11 K% 0.75 1.35 OC % 32.4 23.3 C/N 120:1 20:1

18. Application Recommendation: 5 tons / ha Basal application of compost before sowing In nursery 20% of composted coir pith is used in potting mixture preparation along with sand and soil. For established trees: 5kg/tree

19. Benefits: Improves soil texture, structure, and tilth , where sandy soils become more compact and clay soils become aerable . Improves the soil aggregation. Supplies all plant nutrients along with inorganic fertilizers. Improves CEC. Reduces bulk density of sub-surface. Ammonification, nitrification and nitrogen fixation are increased due to increased microbial activity.

20. Limitations It is not economical to buy the coir pith compost. If immature compost is applied to field, even after entering into soil , it will undergo decomposition using soil nutrients, because of which standing crop is affected

21. Conclusion Efficient utilization of coir. Supplies all nutrients along with inorganic fertilizers. Improves soil properties and microbial activity.

22. Thank you