Utilization of Handmade Paper Industries Effluent Fortified with Growth-promoting Microbes for Enhancing Vigna radiata Growth

Biofertilizers play an essential role in bringing sustainability to agriculture. They are being focused all over the world to develop and improve technologies for biofertilizers to make them cost-effective and enhance productivity. Handmade papermaking from cow dung results in the generation of effluents, raw liquor (RL) and alkaline black liquor (BL), which are rich in organic carbon and nutrients. The present study was carried out to study the compatibility of RL and BL in agriculture along with microbial biofertilizers.

One of the waste effluents (RL) was recently reported to have plant growth-promoting characteristics with the promising results of seed germination and pot studies using green gram seeds at KNHPI. In the present study, the RL and BL efficacy were tested with microbial cultures procured from different sources and isolated at KNHPI for enhancing their biofertilizer potential. The cultures, namely mung Rhizobium (MR), Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB-NB), Enterobacter kobei (ECM), Bacillus species isolated from soil B.St (S), Bacillus species isolated from textile industry waste B.St (W) were selected for detailed study in different combinations.

The combination of RL and BL with different PGPR strains of a compatible nature was observed to show enhanced seed germination and plant growth. The present study provides an insight into the utilization of waste by-products of the handmade paper industry that will have socio-economic implications. This may contribute to bring sustainability to the agriculture sector and help provide employment, income generation and reduce environmental pollution.