FIELD OF INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to a biostimulant composition for promoting plant growth. Furthermore, the present disclosure also relates to a method of preparation of afore-mentioned biostimulant composition.
BACKGROUND
It is known that Agriculture is a principal pathway which maintains the food available to the mankind. The success of the crop production laboriously depends on the condition of the soil’s health especially.
However, these days it has been observed that all over the world the soil condition is seen to be declining due to restless and un-rotational crops cycle farming. In view of the above scenario, the natural organic nutrients progressively are exhausting in the soil. Moreover, due to un-rotational and restless farming activities of humans arise many kinds of harm to the soil along with acidity, high salinity, compaction, soil erosion, degradation,and over tilled soil. Furthermore, the soil condition is further deteriorated by application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
In order to improve the condition of the soil, many organic fertilizers are available in the market. However, most of these are made from chemical compound and are neither organic nor good for agricultural use. The same requires costly raw materials and are not able to fulfill the requirement of NPK- Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium along with other essential micronutrients. As chemical fertilizers are composed of chemical substances, they have lots of detrimental effects on human health as well as environment, for example- the dust of chemical fertilizers pollute air during application in the field and creates health problems such as breathing trouble , skin, and eye irritation etc. Further, water is polluted through the runoff of chemical fertilizers, and ultimately the consumers become sick by drinking polluted water. Furthermore, chemical fertilizers seep through the soil into the groundwater and other water sources, leading to contamination.
It is also known that, though NPK in small quantities is non-toxic, but a lot can kill the balance of nature in various ways. In addition, chemical fertilizers can make the top soil acidic since nitrogen lowers the pH of the soil. The ideal pH for maximum plant growth and crop yield is between 5.5 and 8. If the soil is too acidic (pH lower than 5.5), it would yield less crops. Therefore, excessive use of chemical fertilizers may be toxic to the soil, plant, and microbes in soil.
In this scenario, there is a need to provide an alternative to existing used chemical harmful fertilizers.

OBJECTIVE OF THE DISCLOSURE
The one of the inventive concepts of the present disclosure is to provide an alternate rich and easily available ultimate source of macro and micronutrients to plants as partial replacement of highly loaded chemical source.
Another inventive concept of the present disclosure is to maintain the soil fertility level. Another inventive concept of the present disclosure is to increase the nutrient level of the soil that improves the soil's physical condition by improving soil texture and aeration.
Another inventive concept of the present disclosure is to improve the quality and yield of crops.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is improving quality of crops, enhancing protein synthesis, increase tolerance against diseases and climatic stress of the various crops.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a biostimulant composition that produces no and is very cost effective to farmers and users.

SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to a synergistic and broad-spectrum biostimulant composition.
In an aspect of the present invention, a biostimulant composition comprising a fish protein hydrolysate in a range of 10-20% w/w, seaweed extract in a range of 10-20% w/w and pressmud in a range of 60-80% w/w.
In an aspect, the seaweed extract in the biostimulant composition is derived from Sargassum species.
In an aspect, the seaweed extract further comprises alginic acid, nitrogen in a range of 2.5-3%, potassium in a range of 0.5-1.5%,calcium in a range of 0.3-0.6%, magnesium in a range of 0.3-0.6% and sulphur in a range of 2-3%.
In an aspect, the biostimulant composition improves crop yield.
In an aspect, the biostimulant composition promotes plant growth.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for preparation of biostimulant formulation is provided. The method comprises grinding pressmud and sieving on 45 microns to get finest homogenous powder. Further, blending seaweed extracts 10% w/w and fish protein hydrolysates 10% w/w with pressmud in an industrial rotatory mixer conical drum. Adding 0.5 – 10.5% of water by w/w into industrial rotatory mixer conical drum. Further mixing blend material and passing them to accumulation machines where desired size granule and sieving the obtained material to obtain the biostimulant composition.
In another aspect of the method, for preparation of biostimulant formulation the granules of 3-4mm are obtained.
In another aspect, of the method for preparation of biostimulant formulation the seaweed extract and fish protein hydrolysates are in the range of 10-20%.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
Those skilled in the art will be aware that the present disclosure is subject to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the present disclosure comprising all such variations and modifications. The disclosure also comprising all such steps, features, compositions, and compounds referred to or indicated in this specification, individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of any or more of such steps or features.
The nature of the invention and the manner in which it is performed is clearly described in the specification. The invention has various components, and they are clearly described in the detailed description.
For convenience, before further description of the present disclosure, certain terms employed in the specification, and examples are collected here. These definitions should be read in the light of the remainder of the disclosure and understood as by a person of skill in the art. The terms used herein have the meanings recognized and known to those of skill in the art, however, for convenience and completeness, particular terms and their meanings are set forth below
Definitions:
The term “pressmud” as used herein the context of the present disclosure refers to compressed waste obtained from sugar industry mainly from the filtration of the cane juice. It is rich in organic carbon, phosphorus, NPK and several micronutrients and thus act as a good organic fertiliser and carrier material.
A composition comprising “synergistic activity”, or a “synergistic composition” is a combination of compounds which exhibits increased biological or functional activity as a non-linear multiple of the biological or functional activity of the individual compounds. In other words, the combined biological or functional activity of two or more compounds being tested is significantly greater than the expected result based on independent effects of the compounds when tested separately.
In view of the problems relating to the existing organic fertilizers, the present disclosure provides an efficient biostimulant composition and a method of preparation of the same for soil rejuvenation and plant growth.
The present disclosure provides a biostimulant composition that is free from any chemical compound and is highly fit for agricultural use and does not require any expensive raw materials. The present biostimulant composition is able to fulfill the requirement of essential plant growth promoting substances.
The present composition uses pressmud to rectify the trouble of air and land pollution caused by improper discarding of pressmud by sugar factories and trouble caused by using of these pressmud in agricultural land which may give rise to rodents.
The present disclosure provides a biostimulant composition comprising seaweed extracts as the first active ingredients, fish protein hydrolysateas second active ingredient and pressmud as carrier material. In the mentioned composition pressmud is present in an amount ranging from 60-80%w/w, seaweed extract is present in an amount ranging from 10-20% w/w and fish protein hydrolysate is present in an amount ranging from 10-20% w/w of the total composition. In an embodiment, the seaweed extract is obtained from Sargassum species.
In an embodiment, the fish protein hydrolysates are obtained from the Sardine fish.
In an embodiment, the biostimulant composition of the present invention comprising the said active ingredients exhibit synergistic effect for supplying the vital growth nutrients required by plant for growth and improvement in crop yield. The biostimulant composition is granular in nature and added into the soil.
In an embodiment, the pressmud is a by-product (residues) of sugar industry.
In an embodiment, the seaweed extract is derived from Sargassum species. It further comprises alginic acid,nitrogen in the range of 2.5-3%,potassiumin the range of 0.5-1.5%, calcium in the range of 0.3-0.6%, magnesium in the range of 0.3-0.6% and sulphur in the range of 2-3%.
In an embodiment, the seaweed is selected from a group comprising, but not limited to,Kappaphycus striatus, Eucheuma cottonii, Eucheuma denticulatum (spinosum,) Halymenia durvillaea, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Chondrus crispus, Halymenia durvillei, Porphyra purpurea, Eucheuma denticulatum, Euchuema isiforme, Hypnea musciformis, Solieria filiformis, Mastocarpus stellatus, Porphyra capensis, Gracillaria spp.and combinations thereof.
In an embodiment, the fish protein hydrolysates are derived from fish derivatives which further comprises amino acids.
The marine based seaweed plants and fish derivates are used as source of natural nutrients and growth substance which are easily absorbed by plants.
In an embodiment, a method for preparation of a biostimulant composition is provided. Firstly, the pressmud is grinded and passed through sieve to obtain a homogenous powder. Further, in an industrial rotatory mixer conical drum the homogenised powder of pressmud is blended with seaweed extract and fish protein hydrolysates. Additionally, water is added in a range of 0.5-10% w/w into the industrial rotatory mixer conical drum. Post mixing the blended material is passed to accumulation machine to de-size the granules and further sieved to obtain the biostimulant composition.
In an exemplary embodiment, the basic process of manufacturing of biostimulant composition involves physical mixing of various ingredients in a mixing machine. In the first stage a homogenised powder is preparedand further passed to a dedicated granulator for granulation process. The obtained raw materials are passed through a crushing machine followed by sieving machine. Further, homogenisation is done in a ribbon blender. The homogenised mixture is then passed through a granulating machine and then through a granule shaper to obtain desired size and shape. The obtained biostimulant composition is then dried in a dryer and packed. The formulated products can be referred to as organic fertilize and are sent to farmers or other certified customers. The product is applied through broadcasting or spot application in the agricultural fields, by the farmers of India and overseas.
In an embodiment, the biostimulant composition can be used as an organic fertilizer for improving crop yield. In another embodiment, the agriculture crop is selected from a group, but not limited to, a rice, wheat, oilseed rape, sugar beet, stone fruits, grapes, eggplant, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots.

In an embodiment, the biostimulant composition increases plant yield and significantly stops any flower and fruit drop.

EXAMPLES:
The examples below are given solely for the purpose of illustration and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention, as many variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
EXAMPLE 1: Preparation of Biostimulant composition:
The preparation of the present composition was carried out by undertaking following steps:
Step 1: 80% w/w pressmud was grounded and sieved on 45 microns to get finest homogenous powder.
Step 2: Seaweed extracts 10% w/w and fish protein hydrolysates 10% w/w were blended with pressmud using industrial rotatory mixer conical drum for two hours, to obtain a homogenized mixture.
Step 3: The obtained homogenized mixture was further processed for grinding and granulation by addition of water in the ratio 0.5% to 10.5%.
Step 4: Further the mixed blend material was passed to an accumulation machine where desired size granules are formed having ball like shape and a size of 3- 4 mm. The steam was transmitted to a drum chamber, where the excess water was eliminated by evaporation. Further, the material was transferred into a cooling chamber where the material achieved atmospheric temperature.
Step 5: Further, sieving was performed to obtain granulated biostimulant composition.

EXAMPLE 2: Field evaluation of the bio efficacy of the present Biostimulant composition in Tomato crop
The obtained composition was used to conduct the various experiments.
An experiment was conducted in Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam-625604, Tamil Nadu during off-season (December 2012- May 2013) in a randomized block design to access the growth promoting activity of biostimulant composition in tomato crop.
The experiment was conducted with present biostimulant with five treatments comprising 3 doses of Nasa, along with organic fertilizer (Superpower G) @ 5 Kg per acre and untreated control concentrations in four replications for comparison.For purposes of convenience, the present composition has been represented by the code “NASA”.

TREATMENT DETAILS:
Table 1:
Treatment no
Treatments
1 NASA @ 1kg/ac
2 NASA @ 2kg/ac
3 NASA @ 3kg/ac
4 Super Power G @ 5 kg/ac
5 Control

Methodology:
1) Plant height: The height of the plant was measured at the time of final harvest from the first cotyledonary node to the tip of the main stem and expressed in centimetres.
2) Day to first flowering: The number of days taken from the date of transplanting to opening of first flower was recorded and expressed in days.
3) Number of fruits per cluster: The total no of harvestable fruits per cluster was counted for the first five successive clusters and the mean value was calculated.
4) Number of fruiting cluster per plant: All the fruiting cluster were tagged, and the total number was counted at the time of final harvest.
5) Number of fruits per plant: The fruit picked in each harvest were counted and the total of all the harvest were expressed as number of fruits per plants.
6) Fruit weight :Ten dried fruits of each plant was randomly selected and weighed and the average of ten fruits were computed and expressed in grams per plants.
7) Yield per plant: The fresh fruits harvested were weighed at each harvest and the total of all the harvest were computed and expressed in grams per plant.
8) Yield per hectare: It has calculated from yield per plant and their population. The total of plant yield was computed and expressed in kilogram per hectare.
9) Shelf life: Ten fruits of uniform maturity (Breaker stage) were selected at random from each of the crosses and parents selected fruits were kept in trays under ambient storage temperature (25-30 degree Celsius). The number of days for 30% moisture loss was noted and expressed as number of days of shelf life.
10) Total soluble solids (TSS): The total soluble solids of ten randomly selected fruits were estimated by using refractometer and the mean was expressed in Brix.
Harvest details: Yield of tomato were recorded post-harvest.
Table 2:- Effect of Biostimulant composition(NASA) on growth and yield parameters of Tomato Var. PKM 1
Sno. Particulars Growth and Yield Parameters
PH DFF NoFPC NoCPP NoEPP FW Y/P Y/Ha SL TSS
T1 NASA @1Kg/Acre 41.76 32.00 2.67 13.06 26.50 42.17 0.92 33.12 9.63 4.45
T2 NASA @2Kg/Acre 40.62 30.00 2.45 14.66 23.86 39.89 0.89 32.04 10.14 4.21
T3 NASA @3Kg/Acre 45.58 29.00 2.97 13.50 25.89 39.75 0.93 33.62 11.54 4.46
T4 Super Power G @5Kg/Acre 48.18 30.00 2.58 14.06 24.71 34.72 0.93 33.48 8.76 4.49
T5 Control 44.15 33.00 2.76 12.98 27.50 31.65 0.88 31.68 7.70 4.33
Mean 44.0580 30.8000 2.6850 13.6520 25.6914 37.6352 0.9108 32.7888 9.5540 4.3880
SEd 0.7865 0.5528 0.0480 0.2437 0.4610 0.6801 0.0164 0.5870 0.1726 0.0859
CD (0.05) 1.8137 1.2747 0.1107 0.5620 1.0632 1.5683 0.0379 1.3536 0.3980 0.1981
? Mean of four replications.
? Figures in parentheses are Square root Transformed Value.
? PH:-Plant Height (cm), DFF: - Days of First flowering (Days), NoFPC: - Number of Fruits per fruiting Cluster, NoCPP:-Number of Fruiting Cluster per Plant, NoFPP: - Number of Fruits per plant, FW: - Fruit Weight (g),
Y/P: - Yield per plant (Kg), Y/Ha: - Yield per Hectare, SL: - Shelf Life (days), TSS: - Total Soluble Solids.

Experimental Results:
The results of the table 2 have been provided below:
1. Plant Height (cm):- The highest plant height of 48.18cm was recorded in the Treatment T4 (Superpower G @ 5 Kg/Acre) when compared to other recommendation of Organic Manure Fertilizer. It was Closely Followed by T3 (45.58cm) and T3 (44.15 cm). The Lowest Plant Height of 41.76cm was recorded in the Treatment T1 (Table 1).
2. Days of First flowering: - Among the various treatmentT3 (NASA@ 3Kg/Acre) was found to be superior to other treatment and it Registered and lowest 28.00. It Was followed by T2 (32.00) &T4 (30.00) The Highest days to first flowering 33.00 was Recorded by Control (T5).
3. Number of Fruits per fruiting Cluster :- Among the various treatment (NASA@ 3Kg/Acre) was found to be Superior to other Treatment and it Registered an increased number of fruits per cluster 2.97 it was followed by T5 (2.76) and T1 (2.67) Respectively. The lowest number of fruits per cluster of 2.45 was Recorded by NASA@ 2Kg/Acre (T2) (Table 2).
4. Number of Fruiting Cluster per Plant: - Among the various treatment T2 (NASA@ 2Kg/Acre) was found to be Superior to other Treatment and it Registered an increased number of fruits cluster per plant of 14.66. It was followed by T4 (14.06) and T3 (13.50). Respectively. The lowest number of Fruit cluster per plant of 12.98 was recorded by Control (T5).
5. Number of Fruits per plant: - Among the various treatment T5 (Control) was found to be Superior to other Treatment and it Registered an increased number of fruits per plant of 27.50 It was followed by T1 (26.50) and T3 (25.89). Respectively. The lowest number of Fruit per plant of 23.86 was recorded by NASA@ 2Kg/Acre (T2). (Table 2).
6. Fruit Weight (g):- Among the various treatment T1 (NASA @ 1Kg/Acre) was found to be Superior to other Treatment and it Registered an increased number of fruit Weight 42.17 g. It was followed by T2 (39.89g) and T3 (39.75g). Respectively. The lowest number of fruit Weight of 31.65g was recorded by Control (T5). (Table 2).
7. Yield per plant (Kg):- The Treatment, T3 (NASA@ 3Kg/Acre) and T4 (Super Power G @ 5Kg/Acre) recorded the highest fruit yield per plant of 0.93kg per plant. It was followed by T1 (Biostimulant @ 1Kg/Acre) treatment which registered 0.92kg per plant. While the lowest fruit yield per plant was observed with T2 (0.88 kg per plant) (Table 2).
8. Yield per Hectare: - T3 (NASA @3 kg/Acre) Recorded the highest yield per hectare was 33.62 Tones Ha-1 it was Followed by T4 Treatment (33.48 Tones Ha-1), while the treatment T5 (control) exhibited the Lowest yield per hectare (31.68 Tones Ha-1). (Table 2)
9. Shelf Life: - Among the various treatmentT3 (NASA @3 kg/Acre) was found to be superior to other treatment and it has recorded more retaining days of 11.54 it was followed by T2 (10.14 Days) and T1 (9.63days) treatments. The lowest shelf life of 7.70 days was recorded by T5 (Control) (Table 2).
10. Total Soluble Solids:- T5 (Super Power G @ 5Kg/Acre) recorded the highest TSS was 4.49 Brix. It was followed by T3 (4.46) and T1 (4.45) respectively. While the treatment T2 (NASA@2 kg/Acre) Exhibited the lowest TSS (4.21).

Inference:
• As per the table, the treatment T3 (i.e.)NASA@ 3 kg/ac recorded significant difference when compared to other treatments.
• Regarding growth and yield parameters, the treatment T3 biostimulant@ 3 kg/ac is found to be superior for days to first flowering (29.00 days),number of fruits per cluster (2.97), yield per plant (0.93 kg) and yield per hectare (33.62 tons/ha).
• This is followed bythe treatment (T4) Super Power G @ 5 kg/ac. The fruit yield recorded 6.124% increases overcontrol in thetreatment T3 (NASA @ 3 kg/ac).
• The quality parameter such as shelf life was also found to be maximum for the treatment (T3) i.e. NASA@ 3 kg/ac which recorded 11.54 days.
Conclusion
In view of the above, a comparison of five treatments viz., NASA 1kg, 2kg, 3kg, Super Power G 5 kg and control, NASA applied at the rate of 3kg/ac showed the superiority over other treatments for growth of yield characters, since the fruits collected from this treatment recorded early flowering, more number of fruits and more shelf life than those collected from other treatments.

EXAMPLE 3: Field Efficiency of Biostimulant treatment Compared with standard treatment of recommended Doses of fertilizer in Tea crop
Biostimulant was applied either alone or in combination with recommended doses of fertilizer and with reduced doses of recommended doses of fertilizer. Biostimulant applied in single application during April-2015 with Normal fertilizer. Pre-treatment yield data in the experimental plots were recorded during 2014.

The experimental design is presented as below in Table 3.
Table 3
Experimental Site Tocklai Experimental Site
Section Section 5
Clone T3, E3
Design of the Experiment RBD (randomized block design)
No. of Treatments 13
No. of plots Plants 39
Per plot Treatment 72
Imposed 28.04.2015

Table 4:The efficiency of biostimulant composition compared with standard treatment of recommended doses of fertilizer. Biostimulant composition was applied either alone or in combination with recommended doses of fertilizer and with reduced doses of recommended doses of fertilizer. Biostimulant composition applied in single application with Normal fertilizer. For purposes of convenience, the present Biostimulant composition has been represented by the code “NASA”.
Table 4:
Treatment no Treatment details
T 1 Recommended doses of fertilizer (RDF)
T 2 RDF + 6 kg NASA /ha
T 3 RDF + 5 kg NASA /ha
T 4 RDF + 4 kg NASA/ha
T 5 75% of RDF + NASA6kg/ha
T 6 75% of RDF +NASA 5kg/ha
T 7 75% of RDF + NASA 4kg/ha
T 8 50% of RDF + NASA 6kg /ha
T 9 50% of RDF + NASA 5kg /ha
T 10 50% of RDF + NASA 4kg /ha
T 11 NASA 6kg/ha
T 12 NASA 5kg/ha
T 13 NASA 4kg/ha

Table 5:- Influence of Biostimulant on yield of Tea Crop (KMTH)

Treatment No. Yield % Increase/Decrease over RDF
T1 1333
T2 1530 14.8
T3 1508 13.1
T4 1443 8.3
T5 1387 4.0
T6 1393 4.5
T7 1370 2.8
T8 1201 -9.9
T9 1196 -10.3
T10 1127 -15.4
T11 1140 -14.5
T12 1141 -14.4
T13 1105 -17.7
CD (0.05) 72
KMTH: Kilogram made tea per hectare

Table 6:- Influence of Biostimulant on Soil Chemical Properties

Treatment No. Total Organic Carbon (%) pH Average P2O5
(mg/Kg) Average
K2O
(mg/Kg)
T1 0.88 4.89 18 66
T2 0.91 4.92 23 67
T3 0.89 4.88 24 64
T4 0.87 4.86 18 65
T5 0.88 4.90 20 66
T6 0.87 4.92 21 62
T7 0.89 4.88 19 62
T8 0.88 4.90 19 64
T9 0.89 4.92 17 67
T10 0.86 4.90 16 64
T11 0.87 4.87 20 67
T12 0.87 4.88 18 68
T13 0.86 4.86 18 67
CD (0.05) NS NS 3 NS

Table 7:- Influence of Biostimulant on N, P an K in Shoot.

Treatment No.
Average N (%)
Average P2O5 (%) Average K2O (%)
T1 4.60 0.65 2.29
T2 4.73 0.67 2.38
T3 4.72 0.66 2.37
T4 4.61 0.68 2.29
T5 4.57 0.68 2.28
T6 4.55 0.68 2.30
T7 4.52 0.68 2.29
T8 4.52 0.67 2.29
T9 4.50 0.66 2.24
T10 4.51 0.65 2.26
T11 4.49 0.65 2.26
T12 4.50 0.65 2.25
T13 4.50 0.67 2.25
CD (0.05) 0.09 NS 0.07

Results: -
The above table indicates that the data generated from the 1st year of experimentation indicated that application of NASA@5-6 kg/ha in combination with recommended doses of fertilizer (RDF) produced significantly higher yield (13-15%) over RDF. Replacement of 25% of RDF by NASA@ 4-6 kg/ha-maintained yield of tea at par with RDF. Beyond 25% and complete replacement of RDF by NASA composition resulted in lower yield over RDF. All the treatments maintained organic carbon, pH and available potash at par with RDF.
Combined application of NASA (@5-6 kg/ha) with RDF resulted in significantly higher available phosphate in soil. This treatment also indicated higher N and K content in tea shoots.

We Claim:

1. A biostimulant composition comprising:
a) fish protein hydrolysates in a range of 10-20% w/w;
b) seaweedextract in a range of 10-20% w/w, and;
c) pressmud in a range of 60-80% w/w;
wherein the biostimulant composition promotes plant growth.
2. The biostimulant compositionas claimed in claim 1, wherein the seaweed extract is derived from Sargassum species.
3. The biostimulant composition as claimed in claim3, wherein the seaweed extract further comprises alginic acid, nitrogen in a range of 2.5-3%, potassium in a range of 0.5-1.5%, calcium in a range of 0.3-0.6%, magnesium in a range of 0.3-0.6% and sulphur in a range of 2-3%.
4. The biostimulant composition as claimed in claim 1, improves crop yield.
5. The biostimulant composition as claimed in claim 1, promotes plant growth.
6. The biostimulant composition as claimed in claim 1, increase the nutrient content in the soil.
7. A method for preparation of a biostimulant composition, the method comprising:
a) grinding pressmud and sieving on 45 microns to get finest homogenous powder.
b) blending seaweed extracts 10% w/wand fish protein hydrolysates10% w/wwith pressmud in an industrial rotatory mixer conical drum;
c) adding 0.5 – 10.5% of water by w/w into industrial rotatory mixer conical drum;
d) mixing blend material and passing them to accumulation machines where desired size granules; and
e) sieving to obtain the granulated biostimulant composition
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the granules of 3-4mm are obtained.