RANCHI: A professor of botany in Jharkhand has formulated a technique to make organic fertilizers and medicines from water hyacinth. Dr Prasenjit, professor at KKM College, Pakur, claimed the technique will not only make chemical-free fertilizers available at a cheaper rate but also help conserve the environment as the presence of water hyacinth decreases oxygen level of the water body.
Water hyacinth is the world’s largest aquatic weed and an invasive plant, as one pair of it could multiply up to 48,000 times in one season. The methanation caused by it makes a direct impact on global warming and hampers fishing activity.
Dr Prasenjit said the most effective form of controlling water hyacinth is controlling it physically, which includes huge manpower, but it again gets decomposed.
“My research is focused on controlling it through utilisation, for which it is converted into raw material and used for making organic compost,” said Dr Prasenjit.
The innovation was done by him while pursuing his Doctorate in Science (DSc) under the guidance of Science Dean (retired) Dr Jyoti Kumar of Ranchi University. The university has now applied for its patent.
Explaining the process, the professor said the hydrolyte, after being extracted out of a water body, is chopped into small pieces and placed layer by layer in a pit of dimension 5 x 5, adding cow dung slurry, powdered superphosphate and urea in it.
“Simultaneously, two vertical holes are made by placing two bamboo poles for aeration for better decomposition and the pit is covered with mud. About 2-3 tonnes of organic fertiliser are prepared after 70 days of decomposition which is much cheaper than chemical fertilizers available in the market,” he said.
This not only benefits the crops but also improves soil fertility, he claimed. The research work was started in 2014 and completed in 2017.
Dr Kumar said the chemical analysis of the product at the laboratory of the Institute of Forest Productivity in Ranchi has been completed and is ready for field trial.
Controlling weed
“While doing DSc, Dr Prasenjit found water hyacinth would cause a big threat to the environment in the coming days as it grows very fast. Therefore, it was decided to chalk out a solution to control it,” said Dr Jyoti Kumar.