Composting Limnocharis flava buchenau: A comparative analysis

Limnocharis flava (L.) Buchenau is fast achieving the status of an invasive weed in the sandy loam soils of Onattukara, Kerala, India. There is high prospect for composting Limnocharis due to its nutrient recycling compared to the normal weed management through herbicides. The present study was undertaken with a view of recycling Limnocharis flava using various composting methods during November 2020 to January 2021 at Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam, Kerala. The treatments were Tj-normal composting, T₂ - vermi-composting, T₃ - composting using KAU inoculum and T₄ - composting using enriched Pleurotus florida. The design used was CRD and was replicated five times. The results revealed that all the composting methods tried had converted Limnocharis flava to quality compost. The highest recovery percentage was registered for vermi composting. The highest N, Ca and Fe contents were found to be in composts from Pleurotus florida (T₄) but the highest BC ratio was recorded for vermi composting (T₂). Hence, for commercial use, Limnocharis flava can be profitably converted to vermi-compost.