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Original Paper
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research ISSN (Online): 2347-1697
Volume 2 Issue 4 December 2014
Abstract
Coir pith is a lignocelluloses by-product of coir fiber extraction from coconut husk.
The saw dust an end product of cutting, grinding, drilling, pulverizing wood logs
gets accumulated near the processing unit as waste substances causing major
environmental pollution and disposal problems. The objective of this study was to
convert these industrial organic solid wastes into plant nutrient with animal manure
such as cow-dung and horse dung which were locally available. Different sets of
composts (A, B, C, D, E, F and G) with varying ratio were prepared and allowed to
decompose aerobically. The maintenance of moisture level for composting process
was under control. Bioconversion of the coir pith and sawdust after 90 days was
harvested and analyzed for compost manural values. C: N ratio the vital compost
maturity index parameter reduced from 25:1 to 15:1. Among the different set of
compost prepared the compost F with horse manure and saw dust in the proportion
2:1 was found to be best with a good N,P,K (1.79,0.56, 2.25) value and C:N ratio
15:1. The bioassay of radish seed germination with the application of the composts
revealed that the compost has reached the adequate maturity and could be used as
an organic supplement for crop production. Certain fungal and bacterial species
such as Pseudomonas sps, Pleurotus sps, Bacillus sps, Aspergillus sps, Penicillium
sps, and Trichoderma sps were also identified.
Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir
Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
Paper ID IJIFR/ V2/ E4/ 009 Page No. 873-881 Subject Area Biotechnology
Key Words Coir Pith, Saw Dust, Compost Maturity, C: N, Seed Germination
Ancy Jenifer A1
PhD Research Scholar,
Department of Biotechnology,
Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal,
Tamil Nadu, India
Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi 2
Assistant Professor
Department of Biotechnology,
Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal,
Tamil Nadu, India
874
ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
Ancy Jenifer A., Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi : Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
1. Introduction
The Composting is an exothermic biological oxidation process of different organic substances
occurs in the presence of air and certain microbes. The organic matters through stabilization attain its
maturity and deodorized into a humic substance rich product. It can be used as an effective soil
conditioner and is also easy to store and distribute (Ouatmane et al 2000: Domeizel et al 2004;
Gautam et al 2010). Coir pith is an end product of coconut industry. After the extraction of long fibers
from the coconut husk, the dust left behind is termed as coco peat/ coir dust. It has the water holding
capacity due to its fluffy and spongy texture. It is a non- self-degrading material and remains in the
soil for years together. The smoke emitted during its burning last continuously for a long time
polluting the environment and creating disposal problems. Recently coir pith as a money spinner is
used as a moisture retaining source in rain fed agriculture areas (Meerow, a. 1995).
Due to the high water holding capacity coir dust is used as mulch for agro crops (Savithri and
Khan 1994). An effective way to partially solve the growing concern of solid waste management is
the composted manure (Hoitink, 2000). It reduces the volume and weight of the organic waste and
also controls the soil pathogens (Michel et al, 1996; Tiquia et al, 1996; Savage, 1996; Tiquia et al,
2000). Monitoring the microbial succession for the effective management of the composting processes
is essential as microbes play an important role in biodegradation process. The quality of the mature
compost is based on the appearance of certain microorganisms (Macauley et al, 1993; Ishil et al,
2000). Coir pith and saw dust the major end product from the timber extraction industries degrade
very slowly in the soil due to its pentosan-lignin ratio and also because of the chemical and structure
complexity of lignin-cellulose complex (Rehuvaran et al 2009 and Ramalingam et al 2004). Lignin
lignocelluloses in plant biomass are degraded by microbial extracellular enzymes (Lignins and
celluloses; Akhmedova, 1992). All plant biomass constitute lignin, cellulose and hemi cellulose at
varying ratio. The natural chemical compound lignin is a phenyl propanoid polymer. This substance is
effectively degraded by soil microbes (Anand and Sripathi, 2004).
Cow dung an organic nitrogen rich material exhibit plant growth promoters and is used in
panchakavya (a natural plant growth inducer formulation) (Nattudurai et al, 2012). Horse manure the
great fertilizer can be composted in 60 days in summer and 90-180 days in the winter. During the
composting process in horse the ideal C: N ratio is between 25:1 and 30:1. The organisms in a
compost pile require carbon for energy and nitrogen for growth. Plant materials like straw, wood
chips, sawdust and leaves constitute higher carbon content and animal by products like manure and
blood meal possess higher nitrogen content (Jessica paige, 2000). Initiation of fungal growth growth
due to the cellulosic compounds present in the coir waste degrades the lignin compound and can be
used as manure for crop production.
Tomato plants showed tremendous growth parameters using coir pith (100%) as potting
mixture (Ramaswamy 1986; Baskaran and Saravanan, 1997). The most sensitive and critical stage of
the plant life cycle is the seed germination (Ahmed, 2009). Germination is the physiological and
developmental processes in a mature, non-dormant seed when subjected to appropriate condition of
water, temperature and various other physico-chemical conditions (James, 2012). Seeds are
germinated in groups on suitable substrate for germination studies. The germination is observed for a
fixed period of time under experimental condition (James, 2012). Hence the present study was aimed
at, the effect of small scale industrial solid waste compost for the growth of Raphanus sativus
875
ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
Ancy Jenifer A., Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi : Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
2. Materials and methods
Collection of solid waste coir pith and saw dust
The industrial organic solid waste materials like coir pith and saw dust used for composting was
collected from small scale industries near Dindigul, Tamil Nadu on free of cost. The decomposition
enhancing substances like cow dung and horse dung were collected from the local areas at
Attuvampatti, Kodaikanal.
Preparation of Experimental design media for composting
Table 2.1: Compositions of the organic materials used for composting
Sr. No.
Compost
Bin
Components
Ratio
(kg)
Total Weight
(kg)
Height & Diameter
of Test Bin (cm)
1 (set A) HD+ CD+ CP+ SD 2:2:1:1 6 Kg 24.5 & 25
2 (set B) HD+ CP+ SD 2:1:1 4 Kg 24.5 & 25
3 (set C) CD+ CP+SD 2:1:1 4 Kg 24.5 & 25
4 (set D) HD+ CP 2:1 3 Kg 24.5 & 25
5 (set E) CD+ CP 2:1 3 Kg 24.5 & 25
6 (set F) HD+SD 2:1 3 Kg 24.5 & 25
7 (set G) CD+ SD 2:1 3 Kg 24.5 & 25
Note: HD-Horse dung; CD- Cow dung; CP- Coir pith; SD- Saw dust
The 7 different sets of organic waste were subjected to aerobic degradation in containers.
Water was sprinkled to maintain the required moisture level. Thorough mixing of the materials was
done on a regular basis during the process of composting. On the completion of 90 days of
composting the composted samples were air dried under shade. It was further analyzed for compost
maturity and used for the growth of radish plants.
Studies on the physico-chemical characterization and manural value of the compost
The physico-chemical parameters and manural value of compost samples before and after
composting such as pH, EC, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (N), total phosphorous (P), total
potassium (K) and carbon to nitrogen ratio ( C:N) were analyzed . (Muthuvel and Udayasoorian,
1999).
Isolation and identification of microorganisms from the manure
The compost was further screened for its microbial diversity. Hence, the isolation and
identification of organisms from the manure was done using the common pour plate technique.
The microorganisms isolated from the compost were identified according to Atlas, et al.,
(1995). The isolates were grouped to various genera based on their morphological and biochemical
characters.
Effect of compost on the growth and biochemical parameters of radish (Raphanus
sativus) under experimental conditions
876
ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
Ancy Jenifer A., Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi : Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
The seeds of Raphanus sativus were procured from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
(TNAU) Coimbatore. Healthy seeds were surface sterilized with 0.1% mercuric chloride for 1-2
minutes followed by repeated rinsing with distilled water. The experiments were conducted under
uniform condition of light, temperature and equal amount of soil (5kg) placed in 7 test pots along with
a control. Approximately 100gm of the compost A, B, C, D, E, F and G were added to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7 test containers respectively . All the test plants were irrigated with tap water. The percentage of seed
germination was recorded regularly and calculated. The root lengths shoot length, fresh weight, dry
weight and the chlorophyll content of 25 days old seedlings were measured. Method of Arnon, (1949)
was used to quantify the chlorophyll content of the control and experimental plants.
3 Results and Discussion
3.1 The physical and manural characteristics of the compost
The physical and manural value of 7 sets of compost is depicted in table 3.1. The color and
odor of the compost was dark brown and earthy in nature. The dark brown color and earthy nature is
due to the formation of humic substances. The humic substances include humin, humic acid and
fulvic acid (De A K, 1999). The pH of the compost before and after composting was found to be near
neutral. Similar results have been reported by Thamaraiselvi and Vasanthy (2013). The pH was
stabilized due to the buffering nature of the humic acid. The EC of all the compost ranged between
1.29 to 4.77 mmhos. Preethu et al (2007) have reported similar results the EC of coffee waste samples
ranged from 2.5 to 3.2 dsm-1
indicating the presence of higher soluble salt content in the wastes. Also
during the composting process the microorganisms involved in the process of mineralization may
have imparted the higher EC.
The organic carbon content in all the compost ranged between 17.71 % to 18.90 % and C: N
ratio from 10:1 to 13:1. Higgins et al (2008) have reported similarly that typical horse manure has a C:
N ratio of approximately 10 – 18:1. However commonly used bedding materials such as straw and
wood shavings contain high C: N ratios. The reduction in organic carbon up to 30% may be due to the
oxidation of organic matter. Similar results have been reported by Mali 2002, and Gomathi et al
2004.In the case of nitrogen in compost set F (HD + SD), the percentage has increased in the final
stage than the initial stage. This may be due to the increase in microbial population which could
perform the process of nitrogen fixation. Similar results have been cited by Kale et al 1992. The C/N
ratio was found to reduce from 30:1 to 20:1 indicating the complexion of the composting process and
the manural value is high. Similar results have been reported by Mali 2002.
In the case of other nutrients phosphorous showed a slight increase after the composting
process is 0.30% to 1.01% in compost B. also the amount of potassium level was increased slightly.
The total phosphorous and potassium content of compost was higher when compared to the initial
stage. Animal dung contains water, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, as well as micro-nutrients.
Animal dung and urine are very necessary to prepare good quality compost – urine especially is high
in potassium and nitrogen. Both dung and urine help to produce a high temperature so that the
materials decompose into compost easily. Urine, in particular, accelerates decomposition. The
increase of phosphorous might be due to the humic substances, which would increase phosphorous
availability as they have been reported by Gomathi et al 2004 Vasanthy et al 2005 Mali 2002.
877
ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
Ancy Jenifer A., Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi : Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
Comparing the different sets of the compost prepared and application as manure for the
growth of radish seed , the compost set F was found to be the best. It possessed the highest nutrient
value such as 15:1 C: N ratio, N, P,K (1.79,0.56, 2.25) value. The test plants showed 100% seed
germination and the seedlings had the higher rate of growth parameters than the rest of the test
containers. Horse manure contains water, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, as well as micro-
nutrients Kalaiselvi and Ramasamy 1996.
Table 3.1 : Manural value of the composts
S.No Parameter initial A B C D E F G
1. 1 Colour Dark
brown
Dark
brown
Dark
brown
Dark
brown
Dark
brown
Dark
brown
Dark
brown
Dark
brown
2. 2 Odour Earthy Earthy Earthy Earthy Earthy Earthy Earthy Earthy
3. 3 pH 7.40 7.06 6.96 7.01 7.14 7.05 7.03 7.00
4. 4 EC (mmhos) 1.30 2.51 3.10 1.53 3.09 4.77 3.40 1.29
5. 5 N % 0.85 1.64 1.78 1.76 1.25 1.70 1.79 1.62
6. 6 P % 0.30 0.51 1.01 0.45 0.53 0.59 0.56 0.57
7. 7 K % 1.54 2.51 2.58 1.59 1.63 1.19 2.25 3.17
8. 8 O.C % 20.91 17.71 18.90 18.89 17.85 17.83 17.91 18.22
9. 9 C.N % 25:1 11:1 11:1 11:1 14:1 10:1 15:1 11:1
3.2 Identified microorganisms from the compost
The identified microorganisms from the compost are presented in table 3.2. The organisms
identified were Pseudomonas sps, Streptococcus sps, Pleurotus sps, Bacillus sps, Aspergillus sps,
Penicillium sps, and Trichoderma sps. All the organisms were involved in the composting process.
The metabolic activities of the microorganisms present in the the compost piles caused dramatic
changes in the physical and chemical nature of the pile. At the final stage of the compost most
digestible organic matter gets consumed by the microbial population and the compost materials is
considered stable (Thakur 2006).
Microorganisms need carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in order to live. But they need these
elements in the correct ratios. The ideal ratio is 30 parts of carbon to 1 part of nitrogen (30:1). Low C:
N ratio (<20:1) do not provide enough energy for beneficial microorganisms to function. Therefore
compost piles with low C: N ratio will decompose slower and possibly loose N in the form of
ammonia gas. In the study of composting municipal solid waste Hassan et al 2008 found that high
temperature during thermophilic degradation phase cause a marked change in bacterial community.
E.coli and fecal streptococci as well as yeasts and filamentous fungi population decreased sharply.
Micro-organisms (fungi and bacteria) and smaller animals (many types of worms, including
earthworms, nematodes, beetles and other insects) turn waste materials into mature compost. These
are found naturally in good fertile soils like those from forests, old animal dung and old compost.
Adding any of these to new compost helps in the decomposition process. Compost made only with
plant materials usually has a lower nutrient content than compost made by including animal dung and
urine (Edwards et al., 2007).
878
ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
Ancy Jenifer A., Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi : Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
Table 3.2: Identified micro organism from the composts
3.3 Effect of compost on seed germination of Rhapanus sativus
The percentage of seed germination and growth rate was observed and the results are given in
table 3.3 and 3.4. Figures 3.1and 3.2 shows the healthy radish percentage of seed germinated and their
growth. About 100% of seed germination was noticed in test pots 2 (HD+ SD+ CP), 5 (CD+ CP) and
6 (HD+ SD). Only 40 % of seed germination was observed in control pots. Compost test pot 1(HD+
CD+ SD+ CP), 3(CD+ CP+SD) and 4 (HD+ CP) showed 60-70% of seed germination. Arunachalam
et al (2003) have reported that Mesua ferra L was evaluated for its germination, seedling growth and
biomass across four seed size classes. Seed germination was possibly correlated with seed weight.
Carbon content was also related with plant length and weight in seedling. The shoot and root length of
control was 13.6±2 cm and 13±2 cm respectively whereas in case of test container 6, compost F
(HD+ SD) treated plants about 21.5± 2cm of shoot length and 15± 2 cm root length were noticed .
Other compost treated plants showed around 13± 2cm of shoot length and 13± 2cm root length. The
fresh and dry weight of the control plants were 4.450 gm , 0.534 gm respectively. Test pot 6 (HD+
SD) pot plants showed the highest fresh weight and dry weight than control among all pots.
The test pot 6 (HD+ SD) showed effective seed germination and good growth parameters. It
had a 15:1 C: N ratio. The horse dung possesses water, potassium, and other micronutrients which are
required for the plant growth in excess and are the alternate natural fertilizer. Hence composting the
horse dung with the saw dust might have reduced and stabilized the nutrient content. The saw dust a
rich source of carbon on composting releases the excess carbon as carbondioxide gas. The nitrogen is
converted to nitrate and are utilized by the as a primary growth nutrient. Hence, the initial 25:1 C: N
ratio was reduced to 15:1 after 90 days of composting process, Gershuny and. Martin (1992).
Table 3.3 : Effect of compost on the seed germination of Raphanus sativus
Containers Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Test 6 Test 7 Control
% Of Seed Germination 60 100 60 70 100 100 90 40
Figure 3.1: Percentage of seed germination
0
50
100
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Test 6 Test 7 Control
% of seed germination
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
Test 4
S. No MICROORGANISMS
1 Pseudomonas sps
2 Streptococcus sps,
3 Bacillus sps
4 Proteus sps
5 Aspergillus sps
6 Penicillium sps
7 Trichoderma sps
879
ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
Ancy Jenifer A., Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi : Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
Table 3.4 .Effect of compost on the growth parameters of Raphanus sativus
S. No Parameters Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
Test 4
Test 5
Test 6
Test 7
Control
1 Root Length
(cm)
5.5+ 2 13.9+ 2 14.7+
2
11.0+
2
12.6+
2
15.4+
2
14.1+ 2 13.2+ 2
2 Shoot
Length(cm)
7.2+ 2 16.5+ 2 12.3+
2
11.5+
2
12.2+
2
215+ 2 17.7+ 2 13.6+ 2
3 Fresh
Weight(gm)
1.994 2.984 5.298 3.621 7.606 8.167 7.858 4.450
4 Dry
Weight(gm)
0.182 0.154 0.708 0.381 1.201 1.732 0.931 0.534
All values are average of three determinations
Figure 3.2: Healthy radish seed germination and growth
3.4 Extraction and estimation of chlorophyll content
Table 3.5 and figure 3.3 shows the chlorophyll content of the test plants using compost. The
amount of chlorophyll in all the test samples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and the control were 0.367 mg/g, 0.939
mg/g, 0.592 mg/g, 1.430 mg/g, 1.019mg/g, 1.668mg/g, 0.995 mg/g and 0.419 mg/g respectively. Test
pot 6 (HD+ SD) showed higher amount of chlorophyll content of plants may be due to the favourable
effect of nitrogen and other inorganic elements which are present in their optimum quantities.
Presence of magnesium and potassium in their optimum quantities in the compost samples are
responsible for biosynthesis of pigments chlorophyll (lallawsage et al, 2012). The presence of these
elements in compost showed higher level of chlorophyll content test pot 6.
Table 6: Extraction and estimation of chlorophyll content
S. No Test pots Chlorophyll content (mg/g)
1 Test 1 0.367
2 Test 2 0.939
3 Test 3 0.592
4 Test 4 1.430
5 Test 5 1.019
6 Test 6 1.668
7 Test 7 0.995
8 control 0.419
880
ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
Ancy Jenifer A., Dr. C. Thamaraiselvi : Effect of Small Scale Industry Saw Dust And Coir Pith Compost On The Growth Of Raphanus Sativus
Figure 3.3 : chlorophyll content of test plants
4 Conclusion
From the experiment it can be concluded that compost F has shown higher manural value and
the same compost was used for the growth of radish seeds shows higher percentage of seed
germination and other growth parameters. Application of fresh manure to the crops burns their roots
and retards the plants growth. Composting coir pith and saw dust with cow dung and horse dung
were highly suitable for the manure production based on the nutrients. The compost did not contain or
carry weed and undesirable pathogen, thus providing a rich soil environment for plant and vegetation
growth. The horse dung composted with sawdust has replenished the soil with essential elements and
added humus to the soil. Composted horse manure can be used at any time for soil amendment and
nutrient supplement for crops. The increase in nutrients potassium and magnesium in the test pot 6
treated plants shows that horse manure composted is harmless. Hence industrial solid waste such as
coir pith and saw dust can be converted into plant nutrient successfully with the help of horse dung
and cow dung ie, HD+ CP+ SD and CD+ CP+ SD at (2:1:1) ratio.
Acknowledgement
The authors are very grateful to DST-Inspire Fellowship for providing fund to carry on with
the work in time.
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ISSN (Online): 2347-1697 International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 2, Issue - 4, December 2014 16th Edition, Page No: 873-881
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