|
SciTech
Vermi-compost to boost sugarcane productivity
Cane treated with vermi-compost produced longer internodes. (Inset) Composite culture of earthworms is ideal for making vermi-compost.
By Our Agriculture Correspondent
VERMI-COMPOST HAS many salutary effects on sugarcane. It induces drought-tolerance in the crop and increases yield by about 50 tonnes a hectare says Mr. P. Seralathan, Cane Development Officer, Tiruttani Cooperative Sugar Mills, Tiruvelangadu, 75 km from Chennai.
A strong advocate of vermi-composting, Mr. Seralathan has been popularising it among sugarcane farmers in the region. "Our observations show that vegetative growth phase of the crop is extended, and sugar accumulation has been found to be more.
The internodes are longer in canes grown using vermi-compost, and the overall length of each cane is increased by about 60 cm. The girth increases by 4 cm. The canes produced 4-6 more nodes than normal. It increased the weight by 250-800 g per cane. It means that in a hectare of 100,000 millable canes, an average of 50 tonnes more of cane is possible," he explains.
The net return to growers will work out to Rs. 40,000 per hectare. The farmers are advised to use about 5 tonnes of vermi-compost per hectare at a cost of Rs. 10,000. It would help in the reduction in the use of synthetic fertilizers.
A farmer can save 125 kg urea and 125 kg of muriate of potash per hectare. Application of vermi-compost helps in building up the chemical and physical structures of the soil. Being an excellent organic base for the proliferation of several beneficial soil microbes, it contributes to better and well spread out root system. It helps in conservation and retention of soil moisture.
Vermi-compost is produced in the sugar mill using the by-products of the factory such as press mud, bagasse and fly ash. The residues are mixed well in proper ratio, and spread out in open as heaps of convenient size. The most ideal size of the elevated residue beds is 2-3 m wide, 5-6 m long and one m high.
After spreading residue, water is sprinkled over it, and the entire bed is raked up well to release all the heat generated from inside.
When the beds are cooled sufficiently, locally collected earthworms are introduced in different layers.
The compost beds are watered regularly, and the poly-culture worms will convert this residue into rich and bioactive manure within a short span of time. The nitrogen content of the final compost ranged between 1.81 to 2.10 per cent, and the phosphorus content between 0.08 to 3.6 per cent. The potassium content was found to be 0.1-0.42 per cent.
The organic carbon content hovered between 9-15 per cent. The compost was rich in several trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron and manganese.
Vermi-compost is of great use in reclaiming problem soils, and it helps in providing balanced nutrition to encourage vigorous crop growth, according to Mr. Seralathan.
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
SciTech
|
