Comparative Study of Conventional and Improved Retting of Jute with Microbial Formulation

A comparative study between conventional and improved retting of jute ( Corchorus olitorius L. and C. capsularis L.) with a talc based microbial formulation was carried out for three consecutive retting trials in the same water during 2014. Due to introduction of the microbial formulation consisting of three different strains of Bacillus pumilus in the improved method, retting duration reduced by 6–7 days, fibre recovery increased by 9.7–12%, with the improvement in fibre quality (colour, lustre, fibre strength etc.) as compared to conventional method. The net return of farmers also increased by Rs. 13,490 ha −1 over conventional retting. Moreover, the root content which is not desirable for quality fibre production was high (16–20%) in conventionally retted fibre as compared to fibre obtained from improved retting (3–4%). The polygalacturonase (3.6–5.3 IU ml −1 ), pectin lyase (142–185 IU ml −1 ) and xylanase activities (5.2–7.5 IU ml −1 ) recorded in retting water after each retting of improved method was higher by more than 2 times as compared to conventional one. These higher enzymatic activities in the retting water resulted in reduced retting duration and improvement in fibre recovery and quality. Further, the quality jute fibre extraction from repeated retting in the same stagnant water was possible by using the highly efficient microbial formulation. This technology has the potential to meet the demand of quality jute fibre by jute industries and also to increase the net income of resource poor jute farmers with meagre initial input.