1. The problem of crop residue During this era when the world is uniting to tackle climate change during the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26); net-zero emission reduction became one of the major goals to achieve by 2030. Agriculture is the largest contributor to black carbon emission contributing about 60 % of the total emission. Black carbon is fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) that contributes to climate change. Increase in black carbon seen in post-monsoon and after winter. Crop residue burning contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, of which 66 % of the total emission is contributed by carbon monoxide. These emissions are the major determining factor of air quality. About 500 million tons of crop residues are generated yearly (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy). Among the crops rice, wheat and sugarcane contribute to maximum crop residue burning (~ 82% of total). Among the states, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan practice maximum crop residue burning (Source: www.icfa.org.in).
2. Crop residue burning aftereffects The air pollution spikes in November in the capital. The average contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM 2.5 level in November 2021 was 14.6 %. The highest contribution of stubble burning to PM 2.5 in Delhi for a day was 58 % in 2018, 43 % in 2019 and 46% in 2020 (Source: SAFAR- System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research).
3. Pusa Decomposer – How it works Crop residue burning is not only impacting the environment but also human health. It contributes to the environment in various ways such as loss of nutrients, impact on soil properties and wastage of valuable fodder. Crop residues are a good source of nutrients such as 80% of Nitrogen (N), 25% of Phosphorus (P), 50% of Sulphur (S) and 20% of Potassium (K). For an instance burning of 1 ton of rice straw accounts for a total loss of 5.5 kg Nitrogen, 2.3 kg phosphorus, 25 kg potassium and 1.2 kg sulphur. Increased soil temperature due to crop residue burning results in loss of beneficial soil microorganisms; also depletion in soil nutrient profile that results in poor root development. These factors contribute to reduced crop productivity. Crop residues are a good source of fodder for animals; through burning activities, these residues go to waste. Apart from the environmental effect; crop residue burning has a serious impact on human health such as decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, respiratory disorders, irregular heartbeat and nonfatal heart attacks.
Pusa Decomposer is developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi as an alternative to crop residue burning. Pusa Decomposer is consortia of eight different types of microorganisms. It contains different strains of fungi producing cell wall degrading enzymes for quick decomposition of crop residues. Pusa Decomposer is available in capsule form. These capsules are applied as a solution in the field covered with crop residues. Soil is dug up and then the solution is spread all over to cover both roots as well as shoot. Other organic compounds such as jaggery and chickpea are also added to the solution to lessen the time for decomposition. The decomposition time decreases from a normal three months to 25 days. Four capsules of Pusa Decomposer costs about 20 Rupees (5 Rupees for each capsule), can be used to prepare 25 litres of solution which is enough for rapid decomposition of biomass over one hectare of field (Source: https://thewire.in/agriculture/pusa-decomposer).
| Benefits |
Pusa decomposer has several benefits as mentioned above:
- It converts crop residues to compost.
- It helps to retain the nutrients in the field
- Decomposition time of biomass reduces from 3 months to 25 days
- It can be used for the decomposition of any kind of biomass.
- It is free from any chemical
- It is non-poisonous
- It helps in reducing pollution
- It provides quick means of crop rotation
Arti Kumari