PRANAM-Ca: An Eggshell Derived Calcium Fertilizer and Its Impact on Blossom end Rot in Tomato Cultivation

Abstract

Eggshells, amounting to a staggering 76.7 million tons annually, are often inadequately disposed of in landfills, leading to significant nutrient loss for both plants and humans, while contributing to environmental pollution and emitting unpleasant odors. In response to these challenges, recent research has been dedicated to repurposing eggshells, exploring their applications in diverse fields such as biochemistry, biomedicine, environmental technology, and agriculture. Recognized as an exceptional source of calcium, eggshells offer notable benefits for calcium-demanding crops, including tomatoes, chilli and cotton. In a comprehensive study conducted, we investigated the application of organic foliar calcium derived from eggshells on tomato plants. The results demonstrated substantial improvements in addressing physiological disorders, promoting overall growth, and enhancing yield, signifies the importance of calcium fertilizer for growing healthy crop.  With this background, Multiplex R&D team has made an effort to develop an in-house technology to derive the calcium from waste eggshell. Afterwards, how to scale-up and commercialise it as a sprayable form of Organic calcium fertilizer, PRANAM-CA. Present paper aims to describe the technique to derive calcium from eggshell and its impact on managing the blossom end rot in Tomato cultivation under protected glass-house condition.