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Archives
Aug 1-31, 2003
Bio-organic fertilizers:
cheap soil relief
by Junelyn S. de
la Rosa
 An
innovative, eco-friendly technology to convert sugarcane
by-products into bio-organic fertilizers has been developed
by scientists from the Sugar Regulatory Administration
(SRA). Bio-organic fertilizers are promoted as cheap
alternatives to restore soil fertility of poor degraded
soils.
Poor soils are a result of intensive
agriculture, slash and burn methods, pesticides and
chemicals, mining, and urbanization. These practices
degrade the quality of our soils and result to low yields
and low productivity.
The scientists use sugarcane by-products
like bagasse, mudpress, slops, and ash from sugar factories
and alcohol distilleries. Bagasse is the pulp or dry
refuse left after the juice has been extracted from
sugar cane while slop is what remains of the mash after
an alcoholic beverage has been distilled. The technology
has shortened composting time from six months to 4-6
weeks.
Transforming these by-products into bio-organic
fertilizers is a welcome option since these waste materials
can be serious health hazards to communities around
the factories.
Materials
for compost pile
First, you need an activator. This is a liquid concentrate
of cellulolytic fungi such as Trichoderma koningii,
T. resii, T. viride, T. harzianum and Phanerochaete
chrysosporium. These organisms are cultured in liquid
media such as rice bran decoction, coconut water, and
slops.
Next, you need plant residues such as
cane trash, bagasse and mudpress, wastes, and manure.
Among the sugarcane by-products, mudpress contains the
highest amount of nutrients but these nutrients are
organically bound which means that they can only be
released to the soil with the aid of fungal microorganisms.
The fungal organisms in the activator
degrade plant residues to make the nutrients available.
Manure and green leaves are added to the compost pile
as these are rich sources of nitrogen needed to sustain
the growth of the microorganisms.
To hasten the composting process, you
need an acidified solution (distillery slops and furnace
ash) containing phosphates and ammonium sulfate.
The recommended mixture is 2:1:1, that
is two parts mudpress, one part bagasse and one part
manure and green leaves. A 1% activator and 0.5% ammonium
sulfate constitute the most essential ingredients for
the compost pile.
Compost 'activator' is available at the
SRA Applied Microbiology Laboratory upon advanced request.
Interested individuals can also sign-up for a short
training course on how to produce the 'activator' at
the same laboratory.
Making
the compost pile
First, prepare layers of bagasse, mudpress, green leaves,
manure, mineral matter and activator using the recommended
proportion. Continue layering until the pile is three
feet high, five feet wide and ten feet long. Make sure
that there are enough green leaves for the nitrogen
needs of the microorganisms.
Keep the compost pile moist but not too
wet. Too much moisture can delay decomposition. Cover
it with laminated plastic or canvas and let it stand
for five days. Turn over the pile and sprinkle with
the acidified solution every three days after the first
five days. This is done to allow adequate aeration and
mixing of the materials. For the composting to be successful,
maintain the acidity of the compost pile from 5.7 to
6.2 pH.
Temperature of the compost should rise
to 65-70 degrees centigrade within 2-3 days. When the
temperature drops to 35 degrees centigrade, the compost
is ready for harvest. The compost is dark-brown to black
and soil-like in appearance.
Before drying the compost, add the liquid
enricher and incubate for five days. Air-dry the compost
for one day so it will be easy to handle. Put the dried
compost in sacks and store in shaded areas. If there
are large particles, use a grinder to have a uniform
texture of the bio-organic fertilizer.
Source:
SRA Recommends Bio-Organic Fertilizer. A brochure published
by the Industrial Projects Division of the Sugar Regulatory
Administration 
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