TERRA-RETE - THE UTILITY OF COIR NETS WITH SEAWEED FERTILIZER FOR A PREEMPTIVE EFFORT IN SOIL EROSION AND DEGRADATION

Abstract

With six million hectares lost to soil erosion and degradation annually, the severity of the circumstance cannot be overstated. This research aims for a cheap and eco-friendly solution for this issue. Coir nets are affordable and as it is made from coconut husks environmental-friendly. This also goes for the liquid seaweed fertilizer as it can be made from beach-cast seaweeds, LSF is also proven to be effective. As such, their combination may be the ideal solution. The researchers previously sought to prove this through an experimental-descriptive research. From a setup of seaweeds fermented in water and coir nets, with usage of a prototypical wooden incline for simulation and monggo seeds for growth test, the researchers have gotten promising preliminary results. The researchers utilized a MANOVA (multivariate ANOVA) and T-test on which the following variables are tested: durability and waterflow. These variables are considered the basis of the product’s effectivity. For durability, with the f-value of 6.392 and a margin of error of 5%, the experimentation resulted coir nets can withstand greater force, suitable for eroding soil. For the T-test, waterflow is comparatively experimented; with an average t-value of 2.6815, it has been proven that mountain surface installed with coir nets can impede waterflow. Another growth test has also produced the same benefits. In conclusion, the product was proven to have both a pre-emptive benefit in erosion and a nurturing effect in agriculture which could serve the purposes for both farms and mountainsides.