Recycling of Coir Pith as a Soilless Medium Assisting Solar Energy Technology

The abundant availability of coir pith, the problems associated with its disposal and the environmental issues connected with its utility resulted in search of alternate uses. The use of coir pith as a soilless medium has a great advantage especially in terrace gardening in urban areas where ground facilities are fast dwindling and promote plantation in coastal areas where fertile soil and soft water are rare commodity. The present investigation was experimented with coir pith as a soilless medium assisting solar desalination technology as a source of irrigant for the plants. The prime objective was to examine the distillation of salt water through solar still which served as the irrigant for the sustenance of bhendi (Abelmoschus esculentus) crop grown on the coir pith medium and to reduce the environmental pollution. The Physico-chemical characteristics of coir pith were studied and the yield of biomass of the plant grown on coir pith medium by using solar distillate as irrigant was observed. The biomass production was high on the plants that were grown on the eastern side (64.15 g ± 32.15 g) of the still than on the western side (37.0 g ± 18.77 g). The scope of utilization of renewable solar energy by still technology to desalinate the salt water as an irrigant for the vegetative crop bhendi (Abelmoschus esculentus) using coir pith as a soilless medium was thus established. Thus it can be concluded that any types of crop can be grown in the coir pith medium optimizing the conditions for better yield. Solar desalination technology rendered a better substitute for irrigant even near coastal areas and this venture would create an innovative approach in waste management with better performance.