Coir pith is a lignocellulosic biomass which is recalcitrant under ordinary conditions. Nitrogen fixation is commonly carried out in the soil and these soils acts as the medium for plant growth. This paper attempts to utilize coir pith as... more
Coir pith is a lignocellulosic biomass which is recalcitrant under ordinary conditions. Nitrogen fixation is commonly carried out in the soil and these soils acts as the medium for plant growth. This paper attempts to utilize coir pith as a substrate for two important nitrogen fixing organisms viz. Azotobacter vinelandii and Azospirillum brasilense. Coir pith was used as a source of carbon and energy by the bacteria and the ammonia produced during the process of nitrogen fixation was studied, the amount of ammonia produce indicates the fixation process by the bacteria. The present work succeeded in establishing the use of these two organisms to degrade the coir pith effectively and the resultant biodegraded material could be used as organic manure for plants.
Research Interests:
Coir pith is a by-product of the coir fibre processing industry. Accumulation of coir pith leads to an environmental concern and its management is a major problem with all coir industrialists. Therefore biodegradation of coir pith is an... more
Coir pith is a by-product of the coir fibre processing industry. Accumulation of coir pith leads to an environmental concern and its management is a major problem with all coir industrialists. Therefore biodegradation of coir pith is an essential requirement to control pollution. Coir pith is a potential wealth and can be converted into valuable organic manure by microbial degradation. A method of composting of coir pith with urea has been developed by Coir Board which uses a fungus viz., Pithplus (Pleurotus sajor caju). Application of urea releases higher concentration of ammonia in the soil making it more acidic and retards soil natural fertility. Hence an alternative cost effective nitrogen supplement needs to be developed as a substitute to urea for composting of coir pith. Coir pith can be converted to effective organic manure with the use of fungus (Pleurotus sajor caju) along with the addition of nitrogen supplements like Azolla, Neem cake and Fish waste in 1:1:1 proportion. ...
Research Interests:
... Abesh Reghuvaran1* and Anita Das Ravindranath2 1Rajiv Gandhi Chair in Contemporary Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Ernakulam 22 ... 8 Baskaran M & Saravanan A, Effect of coir pith based potting mix... more
... Abesh Reghuvaran1* and Anita Das Ravindranath2 1Rajiv Gandhi Chair in Contemporary Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Ernakulam 22 ... 8 Baskaran M & Saravanan A, Effect of coir pith based potting mix and methods of fertilizer application on ...