Effects of Vinasse and Press Mud Application on the Biological Properties of Soils and Productivity of Sugarcane

The present study has been conducted to investigate the effects of vinasse and press mud (PM) (sugar industry by-products) applications on sugarcane soil microbial population, its enzyme activities and biomass carbon and nitrogen in order to work out its potential to be used as bio-friendly fertilizer. The treatments were compared with traditional chemical fertilizer (CF) applications. Vinasse and PM amended soils were found to have slightly lower pH and higher total N and C content, however, the difference was insignificant with CF amended soils. Both the treatments increased sugarcane yield compared to chemical fertilizer, but this increase was not significant in PM amended soils. The populations of fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes increased in vinasse and PM amended soils. This increase in former one was significant in PM amended soils only, and that of the latter in vinasse amended soil. The biomass C and N contents were also higher in both the treatments, however, only the former one had significant difference with CF. Amongst the soil enzymes, the activities of cellulase, phosphatase and aminopeptidase were significantly higher in PM treatment while these were at par in vinasse and CF treatments. These results showed a potential possibility of substituting chemical fertilizers with vinasse and press mud which besides improving soil health and enhancing sugarcane productivity, can also solve the problem of their disposal in free environment.