Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of inorganic additives during the humification of poultry waste and rice husk.MethodsPoultry waste mixture was treated with aluminum sulfate 3% and rock phosphate 2% during co-composting of mixture in mechanical composter and evaluated the potential of humification and compost nitrogen mineralization in incubation and pot study.ResultsThe mesophilic to thermophilic phase of composting mixture is prolonged due to the rise in temperature, pH and ammonia that steadily decrease near the maturation phase. The humification rate (HR), humification index (HI), degree of polymerization (DP) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) increased in enriched compost as compared to unenriched with the composting process. The germination index (GI) of enriched compost (C/N:10.8) was significantly greater than unenriched compost (C/N:23.43). These all maturity indices, i.e., C/N, CE, HI, DP, HR revealed the significant correlation with each other. In the incubation study, nitrogen mineralization was also evaluated and nitrogen was applied at the rate of 50 kg-N/ha using the enriched and unenriched compost and found high mineralization in enriched compost due to low C/N. A laboratory-scale pot experiment was also conducted, applied the compost at a rate of 100 kg-N/ha and recorded the encouraging results in growth and nutrition value of Abelmoschus esculentus plant.ConclusionIt was concluded that use of additives have a significant impact on humification of poultry waste.
Highlights
In Pakistan, there are several poultry farms that produce a large amount of poultry waste daily and all poultry farms’ owners are facing problems due to lack of storage, disposal and handling facilities
Composting is a low investment technology that can transform organic waste into valuable organic matter through bio-oxidation which enhances the quality of soil for plant growth by augmenting aeration, water status, micro- and macronutrients
An extensive literature survey was conducted and it was found that many scientists have studied the impact of enrichment on a variety of wastes and found encouraging results during humification, nutrients’ dynamic, plant toxicity and humification/ decomposition time
Summary
In Pakistan, there are several poultry farms that produce a large amount of poultry waste daily and all poultry farms’ owners are facing problems due to lack of storage, disposal and handling facilities. The fresh poultry waste may contain an inappropriate C/N ratio, pathogens, an improper amount of plant nutrients, annoying odors and its application may slow down the germination of seed, lessen the growth of plant and harm the crops by rivaling for oxygen or may cause phytotoxicity to plants due to scarcity in organic matter (Chaudhry et al 2013). Due to these concerns, the demand for humification and high cost of synthetic fertilizer, farmers prefer to adopt the organic farming techniques. The present study was conducted to examine the influence of aluminum sulfate and rock phosphate on poultry waste humification and uptake of compost nutrients by Abelmoschus esculentus (ladyfinger) plants in pot and incubation study
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