Request for information on Bioslurry

[Nemani Chandrasekhar]

Dear All,

I am writing this mail in regard to Dr. Chandu Shah's request (see below) to share the information on Bioslurry.

If anyone had knowledge or experience on the requested subject, please do write directly to Dr. Chandu Shah (chandu...@gmail.com), however he is non member of these groups.

Hope you have read Dr. Chandu Shah's interview in Business Daily Africa Magazine published on 14 July 2014. His BlueFlame BioSurriGas gaining popularity among small holders, has been shared with these groups. 

With kind regards,

Nemani...

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Dear Members,

I write to seek assistance of our members  who may have experience of using bioslurry (as opposed to compost made from bioslurry) (including feeding such bioslurry without the solids through drip irrigation ideally through laser drilled holes rather than nozzles) about the amount and frequency and timing - of bioslurry (made with the feedstock made in the ratio of 1 Kg of cow dung: 1 litre of water) to be applied to the following crops and frequency and timing of such application:

1. Fodder of different types such as lucerne for example and others
2. Vegetables – a lot of horticulture is produced and exported by our smallholders to many countries round the year….kenya is a major exporter – one of the leading ones in the world
3. Fruit such as banana, pineapple, papaya, mango, strawberry, passion fruit, melons, water melon, avocado (not really a fruit)
4. Food crops such as maize, sorghum, rice, cassava, potato, sweet potato, yams, millet,
5. Cash crops such as coffee, tea, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, other oilseeds 

Should this bioslurry be diluted with water before being applied and if so in what proportion – could it be bioslurry 1 litre : water 1 litre? The farmer who use bioslurry in Kenya or elsewhere normally feeds the mixture of bioslurry and water (it seems in the ratio of 1:1) to the plants with bucket. This is laborious. 

Using drip irrigation with laser drilled holes to feed the mix of bioslurry (with solids removed) and water

Can we simplify the operation of feeding bioslurry and water mix by two steps – step one – separate the solid matter in the bioslurry by a simple filter so as not to choke or block the drilled holes of the drip irrigation pipe and then step two - we mix the remaining water bioslurry and water in the proportion of 1:1 (if it is  correct, else use the correct ratio) and feed the mixture through a simple drip system without any nozzles but which has instead holes that are drilled by a laser by the pipe manufacturer. These holes would be of exact size and at the required distances in the drip pipe (depending on the crop spacing as per SCI principles).The drip line would be laid out so that the holes face the ground (not the sky) so the bioslurry and water mix  is fed into the ground.  

Separated solid content of bioslurry and feeding to plants

The solid content of the bioslurry so separated probably is around 15% or less and it can be easily carried by the smallholder to the field with a bucket or a wheeled trolley and fed to each plant individually. This would reduce the major work burden and more importantly optimize use of the fertilizer value of bioslurry (including solids in it) and water.  I think that feeding the watery bioslurry mixed with water  should not clog the holes.

As regards the solid parts so filtered out, I also need advice on how much of it to apply for the above crops and how frequently and when.

Use of several drip lines

The holes in such drip line would have to be of the exact size and will have to be made at the required distances and that distance in each case would depend on the crop to be so irrigated. The smallholder would have to buy and  use three or four drip lines each having different distance between the holes to cater for different crops  planted with spacing as recommended in accordance with the system of crop intensification  (“SCI”) manual for the relevant crops. The cost may go up but different crops can be grown if such methods are practical and have been used with success by any of our members.

Application rate of bioslurry and water mix through the drip system and separately of the solids

I request knowledgeable members  to tell me how much “watery” bioslurry (after filtering out solids) and water mix  (and also the ratio of such watery bioslurry and water) should be fed per plant of above mentioned crops and also the quantity of the solids of the bioslurry when so filtered to be so fed per plant  and how frequently and when.

Type of Drip Irrigation system and manufacturers

I also request members’ guidance on the type of drip irrigation equipment that is easy to handle and that will allow for such liquid bioslurry and water mix to be fed through it and which is readily available in India at reasonable cost and the name and email etc of the manufacturers.

Range of yields

I also request members with such knowledge to give some indication of expected range of yields as follows. If our smallholders used the right amount (to be so recommended as requested above) of bioslurry and the solid matter, and they use the type of drip irrigation mentioned above – drip lines with laser holes at the right locations-  to feed individual plant -  and they also use the SCI practices applicable for the relevant crops, what might be the expected range of the yields of the crops mentioned above?

Many thanks

Chandu Shah 

Chairman, AquaSanTec Group

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