Abstract:
The coconut coir pith is a by-product of coconut plantation sector. Though coir pith has a number
of beneficial properties, its direct utilization as a manure is restricted owing to its high carbon:
nitrogen (C:N) ratio and lignin content. It contains wide C:N ratio of 100-120:1 and 30%of lignin
which does not permit natural decomposition. Hence a study was conducted at the Eastern
University, Sri Lanka to convert the raw coir pith to composted coir pith and to investigate its
properties to examine its suitability as a manure by comparing traditional compost.
The coir pith compost was prepared by using coir pith, spawn of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus
sajor caju) and cattle urine. The coir pith was allowed to decompose for a period of 40 days. The
samples of coir pith compost were collected and were analyzed for properties such as moisture
content, porosity, bulk density, particle density and pH. The results of this study revealed that
certain properties of coir pith namely, moisture content and porosity were significantly ((p<0.05)
higher than the traditional compost. Some of the other properties viz., bulk density and particle
density were significantly lower than the traditional compost. However, there was no significant
difference (p<0.05) in the pH between the coir pith compost and traditional compost. Based on the
physical properties, it could be concluded that coir pith compost can be used as an effective
manure.
