Dear Dr Oudhia,
We have however reported that the compost retains its
allergic potentail and that the compost can propagate
the dermatitis.
Regards,
Srinivas
PS Am sending a paper which has been accepted by the
Indian Journal of Dermatology Venereology and Leprosy
and will bge published soon.

--- Pankaj Oudhia <pankajoudhia@...> wrote:

> 'Congress grass' makes good compost, says researcher
>
> Nagpur, June 3: In research that could turn a
> liability into an
> asset and benefit millions of farmers across the
> country, a vicious
> weed that sucks vital micronutrients from the soil
> and inhibits
> growth of other plants in the vicinity besides
> causing allergy among
> humans was turned into compost of superior quality
> that resulted in
> a higher yield in a test crop.
>
> The conclusion is the result of a detailed study of
> the
> biodegradation of the biomass of parthenium
> hysterophorous, commonly
> known as 'congress grass' in India, into compost,
> carried out by Dr
> Gouri Shrikrishna Kshirsagar, a lecturer in Biology
> at Labour Camp
> Junior College at CAD (Central Ammunition Depot) in
> Pulgaon Camp in
> Wardha district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.
>
> This was the first time in the country that the
> congress grass,
> compost was subjected to extensive analysis and
> field trials.
>
> Rasthrasant Tukdoji Maharaj (RTM) Nagpur University
> recently awarded
> a doctorate in science to Dr Kshirsagar for her
> research on the
> topic. According to Dr Kshirsagar, compost prepared
> from 'congress
> grass' resulted in up to 88 per cent higher yield in
> wheat and
> relatively higher vegetation in mustard during field
> trials.
>
> This was in addition to the common benefit of pest
> control
> associated with the 'usual' compost prepared from
> other kind of
> biomass, Dr Kshirsagar told UNI.
>
> Converting 'congress grass' into compost would
> contribute in
> preventing its rapid proliferation by getting rid of
> its seeds. It
> will also check but also of the hazardous toxic
> substance found in
> the weed, 'parthenin,' which caused severe allergy
> among humans, she
> said.
>
> Dr Kshirsagar said that the compost made from
> 'congress grass' had
> higher content of phosphorous and potash, thus
> making it good for
> crop that needed more of these nutrients. It also
> resulted in better
> soil texture by improving the water-retention
> capacity and porosity
> of the soil, she said.
>
> --- UNI
>
>
http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=35256
>
>
>




________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mail&p=graduation+gifts&cs=bz