Pig Dung Research Articles

EVALUATING SOIL AMENDMENT EFFECTS ON TOMATO YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY

This study investigates the impact of various soil treatments on key yield components of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants, including fruit diameter, length, number per plant, and weight. Eight treatments were evaluated: BK+, MgSO4, CaPh, EcoTea, Pig Manure, Cow Manure, Combined Inorganic Fertilizer, and a Control. Comprehensive statistical analyses revealed significant differences in yield parameters across treatments. CaPh, MgSO4, and the Combined Inorganic fertilizer enhanced fruit production. EcoTea promoted larger tomato lengths, while Pig Dung increased weights. Mineral composition analyses showed distinct treatment effects on sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc levels. Nutrient profiling indicated varied impacts on moisture, protein, ash, fiber, fat, and carbohydrate contents. Strong correlations were observed between mineral and nutrient pairs, highlighting potential synergies and antagonisms. This research provides valuable insights into optimizing soil management practices for improved tomato yield, quality, and nutritional value, contributing to sustainable agricultural development.

Biostimulation of Used Engine Lubricant Polluted Soil Amended with Pig Dung

Biostimulation of Used Engine Lubricant Polluted Soil Amended with Pig Dung

The Comparative Effects Of Organic Manure On The Vegetative Growth Of Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia Occidentalis): Implication For School Farm Management

The study was to investigate the comparative effects of organic manure on the vegetative growth of Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) and it’s implication for School Farm Management. The treatments used for the study were 70 kg of poultry droppings, cow dung, goat dropping, pig dung respectively and zero application manure (control). The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design replicated three times. The parameters measured were plant height, number of leaves, numbers of vines, stem girth, and leaf area. Mean (x) scores were used to analyse research questions. ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses formulated for the study. Fisher’s least significant difference (F-LSD) test was used to compare the means ( `X ) at 0.05 level of significance. Application of poultry droppings (PD) had the highest significant (P < 0.05) effects of plant height on fluted pumpkin when compared with other treatments of Cattle dung, Goat droppings and Pig dung from 4 – 12 WAP. Application of poultry droppings and cattle dung significantly (P < 0.05) produced highest number of vines in most stages of the experiment (4 – 12 WAP) when compared to other treatments such as pig dung and zero application. Significantly (P < 0.05), application PD produced higher number of leaves when compared to other organic manure treatments at 4 and 5 WAP. However, PD and CD (cattle dung) significantly (P < 0.05) had the same effect on number of leaves of fluted pumpkin but significantly higher when compared with other organic treatments at 11 and 12 WAP. Application of PD and CD consistently produced significant (P > 0.05) higher stem girth on fluted pumpkin when compared with other organic treatments used for the study especially from 6 – 12 WAP. Poultry manure produced highest leaf area in all the stages of vegetative growth (4 – 12 WAP). However, application of PD, CD and GD at 12 WAP produced significantly (P > 0.05) the same leaf area but significantly higher than the production of pig manure and zero application of manure. The study recommended that Poultry and cow manure should be used for Telfairia occidentalis production in the tropical rainforest especially in growth and herbage improvements. The use of poultry or cow manure as source of nutrients to the soil will ensure quick returns when used to cultivate fluted pumpkin in school farms

Adsorptive desulfurization of diesel with modified pig dung: experimental design with optimization, kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics studies

This study converted pig dung (PD) with garlic (Allium sativum) peel extract (GPE) to adsorbents (dried pig dung (DPD), activated carbon DPD (ACDPD) and GPE impregnated DPD (EDPD) and GPE impregnated ACDPD (EACDPD)), applied in the removal of Dibenzothiophene (DBT) from diesel. The four adsorbent samples (DPD, EDPD, ACDPD and EACDPD) were used for the removal of Dibenzothiophene (DBT) through batch desulfurization process at different experimental condition (dosage: 100 to 500 mg; time: 30 to 120 min and temperature: 25 to 50 °C) and appropriately characterized. EACDPD proved to be an adsorbent that can be employed for the desulfurization of diesel. The optimum equilibrium condition was achieved at 90 min for the removal of 67.76% of DBT applying a dosage of 178 mg, temperature of 45 °C and agitation of 260 rpm for the desulfurization process. The kinetic of the desulfurization process was best described by pseudo second order rate expression while the best isotherm model that best fitted the desulfurization data was Temkin model. The removal of DBT from diesel and its adsorption on EACDPD was an endothermic reaction with estimated change in enthalpy and entropy of 34.41 kJ/mol and 68.69 J/mol K respectively. Characterization showed transformation to the surface of the modified adsorbent (EACDPD) after chemical, thermal and impregnation from amorphous to plat like with improvement in micropore and mesopore of the adsorbent (EACDPD) while it was deduced that the presence of Mg and Zn in EACDPD enhance removal of DBT from diesel. This research is applicable in sustainable development goals (SDG) 7 and 11 respectively.

The Influence of Organic Manures on Proximate Composition, Minerals, Anti-nutrients and Vitamins of Selected Legume Forage

This study investigated the influence of three organic manure on the nutritional composition of three leguminous forages - Soybeans, Cowpeas, and Groundnuts, cultivated in the coastal Rainforest of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The four different organic manure used were poultry droppings, goat droppings, pig dung and a control (no manure application). Each organic manure represented a treatment group. Each group was replicated three times making a total of 12 experimental units. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Proximate analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in moisture, fat, ash, protein, fiber, carbohydrates, and energy content. Manure type significantly (p<0.05) affected protein, carbohydrate, and moisture content. Poultry Manure had superior performance in Cowpea Forage, while Control excelled in Soybean Forage. The anti-nutrient analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in tannin, oxalate, saponin, and phytate content, impacting nutritional quality. Tannin content varied significantly (Groundnut: 65.78 mg/100g, Soybean: 109.78 mg/100g, Cowpea: 37.62 mg/100g), as did oxalate (Groundnut: 393.18 mg/100g, Soybean: 185.20 mg/100g, Cowpea: 357.13 mg/100g), saponin (Groundnut: 5.71 mg/100g, Soybean: 6.63 mg/100g, Cowpea: 6.63 mg/100g), and phytate (Groundnut: 160.89 mg/100g, Soybean: 30.63 mg/100g, Cowpea: 21.22 mg/100g). Vitamin analysis revealed variations in vitamin C (Groundnut: 57.94 mg/100g, Soybean: 58.31 mg/100g, Cowpea: 63.17 mg/100g) and β-carotene (Groundnut: 9.73 mg/100g, Soybean: 9.46 mg/100g, Cowpea: 7.51 mg/100g), indicating nutritional attributes of the studied leguminous forages. Based on the results, the treatment involving poultry dropping, goat dropping, pig dung and control all demonstrated good performance in terms of contributing to the nutritional composition of cowpea, groundnut and soybean. Thus, the use of poultry dropping and pig dung as organic manure for farmers in the region could be recommended.

The Influence of Organic Manures on Proximate Composition, Minerals, Anti-nutrients and Vitamins of Selected Legume Forage

This study investigated the influence of three organic manure on the nutritional composition of three leguminous forages - Soybeans, Cowpeas, and Groundnuts, cultivated in the coastal Rainforest of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The four different organic manure used were poultry droppings, goat droppings, pig dung and a control (no manure application). Each organic manure represented a treatment group. Each group was replicated three times making a total of 12 experimental units. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Proximate analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in moisture, fat, ash, protein, fiber, carbohydrates, and energy content. Manure type significantly (p<0.05) affected protein, carbohydrate, and moisture content. Poultry Manure had superior performance in Cowpea Forage, while Control excelled in Soybean Forage. The anti-nutrient analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in tannin, oxalate, saponin, and phytate content, impacting nutritional quality. Tannin content varied significantly (Groundnut: 65.78 mg/100g, Soybean: 109.78 mg/100g, Cowpea: 37.62 mg/100g), as did oxalate (Groundnut: 393.18 mg/100g, Soybean: 185.20 mg/100g, Cowpea: 357.13 mg/100g), saponin (Groundnut: 5.71 mg/100g, Soybean: 6.63 mg/100g, Cowpea: 6.63 mg/100g), and phytate (Groundnut: 160.89 mg/100g, Soybean: 30.63 mg/100g, Cowpea: 21.22 mg/100g). Vitamin analysis revealed variations in vitamin C (Groundnut: 57.94 mg/100g, Soybean: 58.31 mg/100g, Cowpea: 63.17 mg/100g) and β-carotene (Groundnut: 9.73 mg/100g, Soybean: 9.46 mg/100g, Cowpea: 7.51 mg/100g), indicating nutritional attributes of the studied leguminous forages. Based on the results, the treatment involving poultry dropping, goat dropping, pig dung and control all demonstrated good performance in terms of contributing to the nutritional composition of cowpea, groundnut and soybean. Thus, the use of poultry dropping and pig dung as organic manure for farmers in the region could be recommended.

Biostimulation potentials of pig dung and oil palm fruit chaff on a diesel fuel polluted soil

The study was carried out to examine the biostimulatory effect of pig dung and oil palm fruit chaff on remediation of soil contaminated with diesel fuel. Different rates (0, 1 and 2kg) of pig dung and 1kg of oil palm fruit chaff and were applied to diesel fuel contaminated soils at (0, 1litre and 2litre /ha) of diesel fuel respectively were used. A total of twelve (12) treatments combination with three (3) replicates each summing to thirty-six (36) plots were used. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design. The soil physicochemical parameters that were examined are pH, total organic content (TOC), nitrogen (N), carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N), phosphorus (P) CEC, TPH and PAH. The results for soil physicochemical parameters showed significant variations (P<0.05) in the levels of pH, phosphorus, Cation Exchange Capacity, carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) associated with pollution and biodegradation occurring within the soils, the result shows high levels in total organic carbon (TOC) and Nitrogen. Soil analysis during the experiment revealed a general negative correlation coefficient implying enhanced remediation during the trial periods. The research has shown that pig dung and oil palm fruit chaff are good biostimulatory agent in the remediation and restoration of diesel fuel polluted soil.

Impact of biochar from different agricultural wastes on soil chemical characteristics and growth of maize

The use of biochar as soil amendment is gaining acceptance as an important management strategy to tackle food insecurity for the growing population in Nigeria amid soil deterioration. This study examined the influence of biochar produced from the different agricultural wastes on soil chemical characteristics and growth of maize. A pot experiment was conducted at the greenhouse of Imo State University Owerri, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design. The agricultural wastes used were rice husk, corn cob, poultry manure and pig dung. The agricultural wastes were charred differently for 60 minutes at the temperature of 250oC. The maize plant used for the experiment was Oba super II. The biochar was produced using modified biochar kiln and were applied to the soil at the rate of 10t ha-1. The treatments were replicated thrice. Soil amended with poultry manure charred for 60 minutes at 250oC (PMB60) had the highest significant growth (plant height) and yield (dry matter) parameters. Significant differences were observed among the biochar amendments with the soil chemical characteristics (pH, Available P, SOM, TN, Exchangeable base cations and CEC). However, the study reported that PMB60 gave the highest significant increase in almost all the soil chemical characteristics (soil pH(6.0), Avail. P(18.20mg kg-1), exchangeable Ca(5.8Cmol kg-1), Mg(3.97Cmol kg-1, K(0.32Cmol kg-1, Na(0.28Cmol kg-1) and CEC(10.75Cmol kg-1)) compared to the other biochar amendments. This study concluded that PMB60 was better suited to improve soil chemical characteristics while also improving maize performance compared to the other biochar amendments.

Impact of Different Sources of Organic Fertilizer on Growth and Yield Parameters of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

This study investigates the impact of different organic fertilizer sources on the growth, phenology, and yield parameters of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Njala, Moyamba District, Southern Sierra Leone. The treatments included NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer, goat dung, pig dung, and poultry manure in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Results revealed significant differences in morphological characteristics, with poultry manure enhancing plant height (63.29 cm), stem girth (0.88 cm), leaf number (69.23 leaves), and leaf area (352.94 cm²) compared to other treatments. In terms of phenology, poultry manure also resulted in the earliest flowering (30.14 days) and fruit set (33.05 days), indicating its superior role in promoting rapid reproductive development. Moreover, yield parameters showed that poultry manure produced the highest fresh fruit number (442.21 fruits) and weight (502.04 kg/ha), outperforming goat dung (309.06 fruits; 444.55 kg/ha) and significantly surpassing pig dung (203.13 fruits; 108.69 kg/ha). NPK fertilizer demonstrated moderate effects, producing 353 fruits and 360.13 kg/ha, but did not match the performance of organic fertilizers. These findings underscore the effectiveness of organic manure, particularly poultry manure, in enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants, suggesting its potential as a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers. This study highlights the importance of integrating organic fertilizers into local agricultural practices to improve food security and promote sustainable farming in Sierra Leone. Therefore, it is recommended that vegetable farmers within Njala Community should incorporate the use of poultry manure and Goat dung at 5t/ha rate into their activities to achieve high yield potential of tomato production

Evaluation of Open Circuit Voltages (OCV) of Microbial Fuel Cells from Cow and Pig Dungs

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) has many potential applications, including wastewater treatment, environmental monitoring and bioenergy production. The comparison of the open circuit voltages OCV values for three MFC set-ups using cow dung, pig dung and the combination of cow and pig dungs was carried out in this study. The MFC fabricated locally consist of two chambers – the anode, which is an anaerobic digestion of organic waste with an electrode on top of the digester lid while potassium permanganate was mixed with water in a chamber to form the cathode with an electrode on top of the lid. The two chambers were linked with a proton exchange membrane (PEM) made with agarose agar using PVC pipe. For 30 days, the OCV of the MFC set-ups were recorded. The OCV values for the three set-ups were compared. According to the results, the average OCV values for cow dung, pig dung, and a mixture of both are 1.014 V, 0.610 V and 0.430 V, respectively. This shows that cow dung produced the highest OCV values, followed by pig dung. The OCV values from the mixture of both had the lowest results.

Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.) increases biogas effluent pollutant removal efficacy and proves a positive substrate for renewable energy production.

Aquatic plants play a crucial role in nature-based wastewater treatment and provide a promising substrate for renewable energy production using anaerobic digestion (AD) technology. This study aimed to examine the contaminant removal from AD effluent by water lettuce (WL) and produce biogas from WL biomass co-digested with pig dung (PD) in a farm-scale biogas digester. The first experiment used styrofoam boxes containing husbandry AD effluent. WLs were initially arranged in 50%, 25%, 12.5%, and 0% surface coverage. Each treatment was conducted in five replicates under natural conditions. In the second experiment, WL biomass was co-digested with PD into an existing anaerobic digester to examine biogas production on a farm scale. Over 30 days, the treatment efficiency of TSS, BOD5, COD, TKN, and TP in the effluent was 93.75-97.66%, 76.63-82.56%, 76.78-82.89%, 61.75-63.75%, and 89.00-89.57%, respectively. Higher WL coverage increased the pollutant elimination potential. The WL biomass doubled after 12 days for all treatments. In the farm-scale biogas production, the biogas yield varied between 190.6 and 292.9 L kg VSadded-1. The methane content reached over 54%. WL removed AD effluent nutrients effectively through a phytoremediation system and generated significant biomass for renewable energy production in a farm-scale model.

Influence of Slurry-Fertigation of Maize (Zea Mays) Production on Nutrient-Depleted Sand-Loam Soil

Attempt to improve the standard of living and maintain a natural environment with crop production for a healthy man living, the use of different soil amendments to upgrade agricultural soils are of great concern in this millennium. The use of animal wastes for crop production and to reduce the menace of these wastes in man’s environment must also be considered. Hence, a field experiment was carried out at Lagos State University of Education, Michael Otedola Campus, Teaching and Research Farm, Epe Lagos using pig and poultry wastes; prepared into a slurry and applied at different rates for maize production under field conditions. The experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with six treatments; which are: NFE-Control, Pig dung (0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 kg/ 3.6 m2) and Poultry dung (0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 kg/ 3.6 m2) and replicated three times. From this study, animal waste slurry for maize production increased both the vegetative growth and maize grain yield. Maize Plant Height (PH, cm), at 4 weeks after sowing ranged from 19.8±8.8 – 33.1±8.8 under NFE and Poultry dung (0.6kg) applications, and 50.8±18.9 – 93.4±18.9 under NFE and Pig manure (1.8kg) application at 6 weeks after sowing. Both Poultry and Pig dung slurry at 0.6kg - 1.8kg/3.6 m2 on nutrient-depleted soil gave grains yield ranging from 1.1 to 2.0 t/ha. As a result, the application of these dungs increased the growth and yield of maize and is thus recommended for maize production.

Synergetic effect and mechanism of elementary sulphur, MgSO4 and KH2PO4 progressive reinforcement on pig manure composting nitrogen retention

The potential of sulphur (S), MgSO4 (Mg), and KH2PO4 (P) in nitrogen retention, ammonia emission decrease, and microbial community succession during composting needs to be investigated. To achieve this, different levels of S (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8% in dry weight) plus Mg and P (S + Mg + P) were progressively added in 70 days pig manure aerobic composting. The results revealed that the amendment increased salinity and lowered pH and dephytotoxication of the product with the increase of S amount. However, no significant inhibition effects were observed on the evolution of the thermophilic phase and product maturity. In addition, the amendment significantly reduced the total NH3 and N2O emissions by 29.66%–58.81% and 20.6%–56.7%, increased NH4+ level by 17.22%–73.21% in thermophilic phase and NO3− content by 26.17%–57.48% in a mature phase, and elevated the total Kjeldahl nitrogen content by 34.28%–46.6% during the composting. In addition, compared to the control, the supplement markedly encouraged the formation of guanite in the compost product. The S addition stimulated the growth of Anseongella, Actinomadura, Chelativorans, Castellaniella, Luteimonas, and Steroidobacter microbial communities which functioned well in the degradation of nitrogen-containing compounds and organic matter. Evidence from Redundancy Analysis, Firmicutes, Myxococcus, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadota, and Deinococcota showed positive correlations with pH. These results imply that adding S–Mg–P amendment encourages the population and activity of specific functional microorganisms, and facilitated the ammonia emission reduction by lowering pH and thus reserved nitrogen through the formation of guanite during composting. The investigation of bacterial community abundance and environmental variables at the phylum and genus levels over time revealed that adding of 0.6% S in conjunction with P and Mg minerals was suitable for nitrogen loss mitigation in composting. The findings suggest using S + Mg + P supplement to conserve nitrogen in pig dung aerobic composting.

Modelling and Optimization of Methane from Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Waste (Pig Dung) with Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS)

Agricultural wastes have increased in recent times due to an increased need for agricultural products by humans. These wastes causes environmental pollution and hazard to the society. Hence, the need to embark on anaerobic digestion to convert these waste to biogas. Biogas has been proven to be a good alternative to gases produced from fossil fuel due to its environmental friendliness. Production of biogas gases ensures cleaner environment and enhances clean growth. In this study, hydraulic retention time, temperature, moisture content, pH and carbon to nitrogen ratio are the factors used for generating the biogas from anaerobic digestion of pig dung. Independent variables range values obtained for each factor was subjected to design expert software application which gave the factor levels and number of runs under Central Composite Design (CCD) in Design of Experiment (DOE). The data generated from design expert was utilized in the laboratory for biogas yield via bio-digester. Pig dung was made to meet various process conditions after which 2kg of pig dung was feed into a 10liters digester and kept for various days. The yield obtained was subjected to four RSM models (linear model, interaction model, pure-quadratic model and quadratic model), ANFIS model and three kinetic models (gompert, modified gompertz and logistic model). Quadratic model was selected as the best RSM model having the best prediction accuracy performance with R-square value of 73.03%. When compared with ANFIS model, ANFIS model had R-square of 95.9983% there by making it a better model which can be utilized for further analysis. ANFIS was optimized and a three dimensional plot of surface and contour plot were used to determine the effect of the factors on the interaction and the optimal response obtained was 92.36% at hydraulic retention time of 11days, temperature of 50oC, moisture content of 93%, pH value of 7.01 and carbon to nitrogen ratio of 1 which was used as the first guess for kinetic studies. Furthermore, logistic model had the best prediction accuracy with R-square of 68.09% when compared with the other two kinetic models, hence, it was concluded that ANFIS model should be utilized in determination of the yield using the factors and logistic model, this could be used in the study of the anaerobic bio-digesters for the production of biogas from pig dung.

Non-linear Regression Models for Predicting Biogas Yields from Selected Bio-wastes

The benefits of biogas as alternative energy to other fossil fuel sources, due to its renewability, environmentally friendly nature, health benefits, etc., cannot be overemphasized. There are numerous models for predicting biogas production rate from bio-materials, including the modified Gompertz equation. These models are primarily dependent on specific biomass parameters. When any of these parameters, like the slurry volume, changes, another round of experiments must be conducted and curve fitted before biogas yield predictions can be made. This could be time-consuming and costly. Using experimentally published data, simple empirical models can be developed for predicting biogas yields over a range of input parameters. This will eliminate the need for always performing experiments before biogas yield predictions can be made. In light of this, scarce literature provides explicit models for predicting biogas yield over a range of parameters based on published data. This study developed non-linear regression models using published data on parameters that affect biogas yields, like the slurry volume, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, temperature, total solids, volatile solids, hydraulic retention time, and pH. The data covered seven readily available bio-wastes, including cow dung, cow dung with plant waste, cow dung with poultry dung, poultry dung with grass, pig dung, and plant wastes. On validation of the models, the results showed that the models had a relatively low standard error of estimates, Akaike information criterion, Schwarz criterion, and Hannan-Quinn information criterion. Furthermore, the coefficients of determination, R2, were between 94.62 and 98.93%. The percentage average absolute deviation (% AAD) for each model was less than 7 %. The non-linear models were found to adequately predict the biogas yields within the limits of the available data set.

Productivity of biogas production from dragon fruit branches co-digested with pig dung

Productivity of biogas production from dragon fruit branches co-digested with pig dung

ANALISIS KADAR HARA PUPUK ORGANIK BERBASIS AMPAS SAGU LOKAL MERAUKE

Fertilization is one of the efforts made to add nutrients in the soil and can increase plant growth and yield. Currently, organic fertilizers based on local resources have been developed considering the negative impact of excessive inorganic use. The use of fertilizers made from local resources in Merauke Regency is important to develop and study its potential. The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential combination of organic fertilizer content based on sago dregs. The study lasted for 1 month with organic fertilizer fermentation carried out at the Agrotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Musamus University and the nutrient levels of organic fertilizers in the form of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, pH, and water content were analyzed at the Biotrope Laboratory. The treatment in this study consisted of various organic materials in Merauke Regency with the main ingredients of sago dregs, namely lamtoro leaves + pig manure (P1), sago dregs + pig manure (P2), sago dregs + lamtoro leaves (P3), sago dregs + lamtoro leaves. + pig dung (P4), sago dregs + chicken manure (P5) and sago dregs + cow dung (P6). The treatment used a ratio of 2:1 (v/v) on each composition of the treatment material. The results of the analysis show that the nutrient content of organic fertilizer based on sago dregs varies depending on the composition of the material and has the potential to be used to increase crop production. The highest nitrogen, C/N and C-Organic levels were obtained in the treatment of sago dregs + pig manure, the highest phosphorus content was obtained in the treatment of sago dregs + chicken and the highest potassium was found in the composition of lamtoro leaf compost + pig manure.

A preliminary evaluation on mixed probiotics as an antimicrobial spraying agent in growing pig barn

The purpose of this study is to examine whether spraying an anti-microbial agent into the slurry pit will reduce the noxious odor substances from piggery barns. For this, a total of 200 crossbred ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) growing pigs with an initial average body weight (BW) of 23.58 ± 1.47 kg were selected and housed in two different rooms, i.e. control (CON) and treatment (TRT). Each room has 100 pigs (60 gilts and 40 borrows). For a period of 42 days, all pigs were fed with corn-soybean meal-based basal diet. Later the noxious odor substances were measured by the following methods. First, fecal samples were randomly collected and stored in sealed and unsealed containers, and sprayed with the non-anti-microbial agent (NAMA) (saline water) and multi-bacterial spraying (MBS) agent (200 :1, mixing ratio-fecal sample : probiotic), Second, the slurry pit of CON and TRT rooms were directly sprayed with NAMA and MBS, respectively. The fecal sample that was stored in sealed and un-sealed containers and sprayed with MBS significantly reduced NH3 and CO2 concentration at the end of day 7. However, at the end of day 42, the fecal sample showed a lower H2S, methyl mercaptans, acetic acid, and CO2 concentration compared to the unsealed container. Moreover, at the end of days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 compared to the CON room and TRT room slurry pit emits lower concentrations of NH3, acetic acid, H2S, and methyl mercaptans, and CO2 into the atmosphere. Based on the current findings, we infer that spraying anti-microbial agents on pig dung would be one of the better approaches to suppress the odor emission from the barn in the future.

Physico-chemical properties of activated charcoal derived from a blend of agricultural waste material

The wide differences in the densities, nature of the agricultural wastes or precursor materials and their carbon content means that activated charcoal (AC) yield, and physico-chemical properties could vary considerably among activated charcoals produced from different agricultural residues necessitating the evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of activated charcoals produced from different feedstocks. The objective of the present study was therefore to evaluate the physico-chemical properties of activated charcoal produced from a blend of pig dung, palm kernel shell, and palm fruit fibre for possible use as feed additives in poultry feed. The physical properties of the produced activated charcoal were activated charcoal yield, moisture content, pH, bulk density, water-holding capacity, specific gravity, oil adsorption capacity and surface area with values as 71.0%, 5.37%, 7.67, 0.72, 77.46%, 0.73, 118.47% and 587cm2/g respectively. The chemical properties comprised of carbon content (79.43%), calcium (6185.11mg/kg), phosphorus (18603.29mg/kg), sodium (1722.47mg/kg), potassium (10275.48mg/kg), magnesium (3980.14mg/kg), manganese (721.00mg/kg), iron (996.35mg/kg), zinc (95.47mg/kg), copper (33.69mg/kg),arsenic (13.38mg/kg) and nitrogen (3008.04mg/kg). The values of the physical parameters obtained in this study were adjudged to be suitable for adsorption purposes in poultry and water treatment operations.

Long-term organic fertilizer additions elevate soil extracellular enzyme activities and tobacco quality in a tobacco-maize rotation.

Organic fertilizer is effective in improving soil quality, and promoting crop growth. Combined organic and inorganic fertilization has been proved as a more favorable way to tobacco yield and quality. However, the mechanisms underlying tobacco yield and quality under combinations of different organic and inorganic fertilizer remain unclear. We conducted a 12-year tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)-maize crop rotation field experiment in Yanhe experimental station, China to examine the yields and qualities of tobacco, soil nutrients, and extracellular enzyme activities associated with carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles in response to different fertilization treatments. Five fertilization treatments (no fertilization; 75 kg N fertilizer ha–1; 450 kg oil cake ha–1 + 75 kg N fertilizer ha–1; 15,000 kg pig dung ha–1 + 60 kg N fertilizer ha–1; 3,000 kg straw ha–1 + 75 kg N fertilizer ha–1) were applied to tobacco while maize was fertilized with inorganic compound fertilizers. After 12 years of tobacco-maize rotation, the results showed that organic fertilizer additions elevate tobacco yield and quality, and the soil extracellular enzymes activities. Gram-negative bacteria, actinomycetes, and total soil microbial biomass were increased by organic fertilizer additions, both plant-based (oil cake and straw) and animal-based (pig dung) organics. The levels of soil organic matter, total organic carbon, total phosphorus and available phosphorus are higher in pig dung addition treatment than oil cake and straw additions. By variance analysis with respect to fertilization treatments, organic sources differentially affected the activities of diverse soil enzymes. The redundancy analysis gave that yield and quality of tobacco leaves (upper, middle, and lower leaves) positively related to soil extracellular enzyme activities. Based on analysis of yield and quality of tobacco leaves with extracellular enzyme activities and soil nutrients, it is suggested animal-based organic fertilizer, thus pig dung, should be used in combining with chemical fertilizers to improve the quality of tobacco and soil nutrients.