Evaluation of a New Composting Method towards Speedy Biodegradation ofWater Hyacinth for Effective Bio-Resource Utilization in Farmerâs Level

Water hyacinth is a major threat for water bodies and at the same time it could be a excellent for organic soil resources if suitable composting technique can be adopted. Novcom composting method was tried out for effective biodegradation of water hyacinth in Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Howrah, West Bengal during January to February, 2014 and the results showed a good quality mature compost can be obtained within 21 days. The analytical results showed qualitative aspects of Novcom compost in terms of total NPK content (4.18 %), total microbial count (in the order of 1014 to 1016 c.f.u.) and germination index (> 1.0 which it confirmed that the compost enhanced rather than impaired germination and radical growth) as also substantiated by the high compost quality index. Absence of any infrastructural requirement for composting, speedy biodegradation period (21 days), high end product quality indicated the potential of Novcom Composting Method towards large scale adoption among farmer’s level