THE UNIVERSITY has developed an innovative and environment-friendly technology to convert sweet sorghum baggase into bio-organic fertilizer.

Bagasse is the pulp or dry refuse left after the juice is extracted from sweet sorghum stalks in the process of producing sugar, ethanol, and other products.

Bio-organic fertilizer is a compost from any organic material that has undergone rapid decomposition through the action of microbial inoculants. It is different from fresh organic fertilizer which has undergone a natural decay process. Compared with the traditional composting method, the introduction of microbial inoculants shortens composting time from three months to just three to four weeks.

One example of inoculant is the Compost Fungus Activator (CFA) which contains Trichoderma harzianum, a single-celled fungus that hastens the decomposition of organic materials that are high in lignin and cellulose-like bagasse.

At MMSU, the use of bio-organic fertilizer is promoted as a cheap alternative to restore the fertility of poor degraded soils. Poor soils are the result of excessive use of pesticides and chemicals which results in low crop yields.

When applied to crops, bio-organic fertilizers can supply specific nutrients to plants. Their effects include enhancing the supply and total volume of plants’ nutritional elements, stimulating plant growth or absorption of nutritional elements.

According to Dr. Floramante Pastor, in-charge of the Organic Fertilizer Production Project, the conversion of sweet sorghum bagasse into bio-organic fertilizer is one of the university’s development initiatives. A one-hectare plantation of sweet sorghum yields about 50-75 tons of stalks that produce 22,000 to 35,000 tons of bagasse. Given the technology developed by MMSU, the bagasse can be converted to approximately 88-151 bags of bio-organic fertilizer with a market value of P22,000 to P37,750.

There are six basic steps in producing bio-organic fertilizer from sweet sorghum residues: 1) collecting leaves after stalk stripping; 2) gathering sweet sorghum bagasse; 3) shredding sweet sorghum bagasse using machine shredder; 4) composting the shredded bagasse (combining the CFA with bagasse, chicken dung, and kakawate); 5) turning over the compost after two weeks; and 6) harvesting well-decomposed sweet sorghum bagasse.

In composting the shredded bagasse, the Rapid Composting Technology (RCT) involves inoculating the substrate along with small amounts of animal manure with Trichoderma. Using this inoculant, referred to as CFA, the composting time is reduced. The RCT combination specifically used 80 percent sweet sorghum bagasse, 15 percent chicken dung, 5 percent kakawate leaves, and 8 packets CFA (per one ton mixture). The bagasse is soaked in water before the chicken dung is added. The kakawate leaves are then mixed in.

After harvesting the well-decomposed sweet sorghum bagasse, it is dried, sieved, weighed, and packed for market.

Meanwhile, it is more advantageous to use the MMSU bio-organic fertilizers than chemical fertilizers. Since bio-organic fertilizer involves recycling of nutrients from waste material, it is a cheap alternative or supplement to inorganic fertilizers. Thus, using it leads to increase in yield and profit. Soil tilth and fertility are also enhanced. (By Reynaldo E. Andres)