Original Articles
Thendral Hepsibha Balraj, Sudh
Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of Gunapaselam – fermented fish waste, on the growth of Solanum melongena (Brinjal) plants. Gunapaselam was prepared by fermenting the fish wastes like head, gut, fins, bones etc., with Jaggery. After 15 days, the fermented liquid fish waste was filtered and used as liquid manure. Brinjal seeds were sown in different pots with only water (control), Urea (reference) and Gunapaselam (test). Application of Gunapaselam decreased the soil pH and enhanced the exchangeable cation levels, organic matter and the essential plant nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Improvement in the growth traits of brinjal plants like leaf area, plant height, stem diameter, root length, fresh plant weight were observed when compared with water control and urea fertilized treatment groups. These results were in synchronization with the anatomical results of root and stem. The thickness of the conducting systems, phloem and xylem were increased which facilitates the translocation, conductance and storage of photosynthates. The results indicated that Gunapaselam is a valuable resource for enhancing the soil fertility and growth of plants like brinjal. This study indicated the potential for the reclamation of fish waste as a useful liquid fertilizer for agricultural purposes.