Types Of Compost Research Articles

Organic Amendments and Sampling Date Influences on Soil Bacterial Community Composition and Their Predictive Functional Profiles in an Olive Grove Ecosystem

A collapse of soil microbial diversity, mainly due to chemical inputs, has been reported to lead to the degradation of conventional agroecosystems. The use of compost from urban and agricultural waste management, in order to achieve a net gain in the storage of C, is an adequate management of agricultural soils, especially in rainfed conditions. However, the great variability of composts of different maturity and origins and of the soils to which they are added limits the ability to predict the impact of these amendments on the dynamics of soil microbial communities. This study was designed to gain insights on the effect of exogenous organic matter management on the soil bacterial community and its contribution to key functions relevant to agricultural soils. To achieve this, two different types of compost (alperujo or biosolids composts) at two doses were used as soil amendments twice for 3 years in a rainfed olive grove ecosystem. A metagenomic analysis was carried out to assess the abundance and composition of the soil bacterial communities and predicted functions. We only detected a minor and transitory effect on the bacterial abundance of the soil, the structure of the community and the potential functions, less related to the dose or the type of compost than to seasonal variations. Although the result suggests that the soil bacteria were highly resilient, promoting community stability and functional resilience after the addition of the two composts, more efforts are necessary to assess not only the resulting soil microbial community after organic fertilization but the intrinsic microbial community within the organic amendment that acts as an inoculum, and to what extent the changes in its dose could lead to the functionality of the soil.

EFFICACY OF VERMICOMPOST ON GROWTH OF MULBERRY PLANT THROUGH AIR LAYERING

Mulberry (Moraceae) is the type of seed plant grown in the deciduous trees and cultivated in numerous temperate regions. Air layering is the technique of plant propagation through cutting; wounding and layering are often performed. This study was conducted with the investigation of air layering survival growth of roots and other plant growth parameters in mulberry plant by using three different types of composts. Vermicompost is a nutritious natural fertilizer with plant obtainable form of macro and micronutrients, beneficial to soil microbes, nitrogen-fixing and plant growth regulators. Therefore, present experiment was undertaken in the Department of Zoology, Kongunadu Arts and Science, (Coimbatore) during the year 2019-2020. The healthy mulberry plants were chosen for practices of air layering by using three different types of vermicomposts i.e. Elephant Dung (100% ED), Cow Dung (100% CD), Elephant Dung + Cow Dung (50% ED + 50% CD) and soil were used as control in triplicates. Best results were achieved with elephant dung vermicompost recorded significantly higher values for rooted air layer length, number of primary roots and secondary roots, root shoot ratio, number of fruits and number of leaves. Hence the shoot length and Shoot weight greater in vermicompost of cow dung, but growth of the plants were recorded significantly higher in plants which treated with all vermicompost, when compared to that of control.

Potential of Spent Pleurotus ostreatus Mushroom Substrate as Compost

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivation produces waste in the form of mushroom substrate that has passed the production period and contaminated substrate. Non-productive spent mushroom substrates (SMS) still contain nutrients that allow them to be composted. The main goal of this study is to determine the potential of SMS as compost. The composting was done by mixing each of the old substrate waste (P1) and contaminated (P2) with a solution of EM4 and sugar. Temperature measurement and material compost stirring were done every week. The test results after 8 weeks of composting showed that the physical characteristics of compost, including the color and texture, have complied with the standards of SNI 19-7030-2004, which was brown and smooth. P1 compost has an earthy odor while P2 compost still has a slight woody. The mass of P1 and P2 composts decreased by 32% and 32,4%, respectively. Micronutrients such as Fe, Zn, and Mo were varied and according to SNI 19-7030-2004, Minister of Agriculture Regulations No.28/Permentan/SR.130/5/2009 as well as Minister of Agriculture Regulations No.70/Permentan/SR.140/10/2011. Co did not comply with the standard. The water content, pH, and macronutrients such as N-total, P2O5, K2O dan C-organic in both types of compost were according to SNI 19-7030-2004, Minister of Agriculture Regulations No.28/Permentan/SR.130/5/2009 or Minister of Agriculture Regulations No.70/Permentan/SR.140/10/2011. The C/N ratio in compost was still high, compost P1 and P2 had 25,26% and 25,16%. To reduce the C/N ratio of compost, it is necessary to carry out several treatments such as increasing the decomposition time or adding other organic materials during the composting process. The addition of organic materials such as manure or bran allows the microbial activators to be optimally in decomposing compost material to shorten the composting time.

Benefits of applying organic amendments from recycled wastes for fungal community growth in restored soils of a limestone quarry in a semiarid environment

Applying organic amendments to recover physical, chemical, and biological qualities of soil may enable recovery of soils degraded by mining in semiarid climates. This study's aim was to investigate the development and changes in the composition of fungal communities in restored soils with five different types of organic amendments (two types of vegetable compost and sewage sludge compost, and a mixture of both) compared with unamended soils and surrounding natural soils and to examine the relationships between the fungal taxa, the new physico-chemical and biological soil properties of technosoils after 18 months of restoration, and natural soils. Restoration improved soil quality and fungal diversity, placing these soils in an intermediate position between unrestored soils (with no fungi present) and undisturbed reference soils, which were the most fungal diverse. Sewage-treated soils and their mixtures showed high nitrogen and carbohydrate content as well as high basal respiration and fatty acid content, suggesting that they provided readily biodegradable organic matter. In contrast, greenhouse compost-treated soils showed high total organic carbon and polyphenol content, whereas garden compost-treated soils showed intermediate values. The biological soil properties of both composts showed were similar to those of the reference soils, suggesting that composts contained more resilient organic matter. Organic amendments of dissimilar origin caused significantly different fungal soil communities at the genus level among the restored soils. Results indicated that soil pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen content, soil basal respiration, fungi/bacteria-PLFA ratio, and dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase activities, together with Pearson's correlations, revealed that these properties and nutrient content (total organic carbon, C/N ratio, carbohydrates, and polyphenols) influenced 40 soil fungal taxa. Therefore, the organic amendments led to changes in soil properties that favoured plant cover by promoting the soil fungal community growth beneficial to the carbon cycle and symbiotic with plants.

Application of Compost and Biochar from Cow, Goat, and Chicken Manure to Restore Soil Fertility and Yield of Red Chili

The application of compost and biochar derived from locally produced livestock waste has been shown to provide agricultural and environmental benefits. The study aimed to test the best combination of compost and biochar from various livestock wastes to increase red chili yields and restore soil fertility. A factorial randomized block design was used in this study. The first factor consists of 4 levels of compost, namely without compost, cow compost, goat manure compost, and chicken manure compost. The second factor consists of 4 levels: no biochar, cow biochar, goat manure biochar, and chicken manure biochar. Observations on all soil properties variables obtained a significant effect from the interaction of various types of compost and biochar in the content of sand, dust, clay, pH, fulvic acid, humic acid, N, P, CEC, and base saturation. The application of chicken compost, goat compost, and cow compost gave the highest fresh weight of chilies per ha, each increased by 37.73%, 27.40%, and 20.15% compared to without compost. The application of chicken biochar, goat biochar, and cow biochar produced the highest fresh weight of chili per ha. which increased by 27.04%, 16.18%, and 9.97%, respectively compared without biochar. Increased yield of chilies and restoration of soil fertility due to the interaction between compost and biochar can be proven by finding a significant correlation between the fresh weight of chilies and the total pore space, pH, C-organic, N-total, P-available, K-available, ratio C/N, and base saturation.

English

Cherry tomato cultivation in protected environments ensures production in the off-season, reaching yields up to 100 t ha-1 with 150 days of cultivation. Fertilization with organic composts can influence the production components of cherry tomato. From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate different doses and organic composts, based on their nitrogen contents, on the production components of cherry tomato. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Boa Vista - RR, at the Agrotechnical School (EAgro) of the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR), Campus Murupu. Cherry tomato cultivation was performed in a protected environment (greenhouse). The experimental design was in randomized blocks with a 4 × 5 factorial arrangement referring to four types of compost (pigeon pea and rice husk; pigeon pea and sawdust; poultry manure and rice husk; and poultry manure and sawdust) and five doses (50, 125, 200, 275, and 350 kg ha-1) calculated based on the nitrogen content of the inputs, with four replications. The experiment evaluated the number of fruits per plant, the mean fruit mass, the mean fruit mass per plant and treatment, and the mean yield per hectare. There was no significant difference at 5% probability for the doses, composts, and the interaction between doses and composts for all studied variables. The mean yield was 14.31 t ha-1. The type of compost did not influence the production components of cherry tomato. Cherry tomato yield was not increased by the organic composts in the protected environment. Key words: Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme, nitrogen, organic fertilizer.

Characterization of bacterial communities isolated from municipal waste compost and screening of their plant-interactive phenotypes

Four batches of commercial compost obtained from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste were analyzed from chemical and microbiological standpoints. The working hypothesis was that, being this type of compost derived partly from plant waste, it could contain plant-growth promoting bacterial endophytes, prone to be active again upon its usual delivery as fertilizer. Culturable bacteria were isolated at different temperatures, quantified by colony morphology, identified taxonomically by 16S sequencing and screened for plant-growth promoting phenotypes including auxin and siderophore production, phosphate solubilization and peptide mineralization to ammonia. In parallel, the total community was assessed by culture independent DNA metabarcoding. The capability of plants to select, uptake and internally multiply bacteria from these compost samples was analyzed using grapevine in-vitro rooting cuttings from which acquired bacteria were reisolated, quantified and their identities determined as above. Major differences in compost bacterial composition were observed as function of the season, with the winter sample being rather distinct from the summer ones. Bacillales and Actinomycetales dominated the culturable communities while Alteromonadales, Oceanospirillales and Flavobacteriales prevailed in the total community. In spite of the challenging composting cycle conditions, the plant nature of the main input substrates appeared determinant in guaranteeing that 82% of the culturable bacteria were found endowed with one or more of the plant growth-promoting phenotypes tested. Beside its fertilization role, compost proved to be also a potential inoculant carrier for the in-soil delivery of plant beneficial microorganisms. Furthermore, upon an in vitro passage through grapevine plants under axenic conditions, the subsequently recoverable endophyte community yielded also members of the Rhizobiales order which had not been detectable when culturing directly from compost. This observation further suggests that compost-borne plant-interacting taxa could be also rescued from non-culturable states and/or enriched above detectability levels by a contact with their potential host plants.

Performance of food-waste compost biocovers in mitigating methane emission from landfills

This paper presents the results of an experimental programme that was employed to investigate the performance of biocovers made of food-waste compost in mitigating methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills in a semi-dry environment. Five experimental columns containing biocover materials made of compost mixed with landfill intermediate cover soil at different compost/soil mixture ratios were exposed to methane inflow under ambient temperature over a period of 3 months. Methane removal efficiencies were determined based on methane content measurements using gas chromatography, bacterial count and scanning electron microscopy performed on biocover samples over time. The biocover materials made of 70% compost and 30% soil demonstrated significantly higher methane removal efficiencies compared with other mixtures, measuring an emission reduction of about 63%. The compost type and composition were also found to affect the methane removal efficiency of biocover materials. These findings can be used for selection of compost type and compost/soil mixture ratio as biocover materials.

Composting of Olive Mill Pomace, Agro-Industrial Sewage Sludge and Other Residues: Process Monitoring and Agronomic Use of the Resulting Composts.

The viability of co-composting of olive mill pomace added to sewage sludge with other organic residues was evaluated and the agronomic use of the final composts was investigated. Two composting piles at different carbon-nitrogen ratios were performed, in which olive mill pomace (OMP), sewage sludge from vegetable processing (SS), fresh residues from artichoke processing residues (AR), and wheat straw (WS) were used. The two composting piles were placed inside a specially built greenhouse and a turning machine pulled by a tractor was used for turning and shredding the organic matrix (every 6 days) during the process. The humidity and temperature of organic matrices have been monitored and controlled during the entire composting process, which lasted 90 days. The process was also monitored to evaluate the microbiological safety of the final compost. The humidity of both piles was always kept just above 50% until the end of the thermophilic phase and the maximum temperature was about 50 °C during the thermophilic phase. The carbon-nitrogen ratio decreased from 21.4 and 28.2, respectively (initial value at day 1 in Pile A and B), to values ranging from 12.9 to 15.1, both composts that originated from the two different piles were microbiologically safe. During a two-year period, the effects of different types of compost on the main qualitative parameters of processing tomato and durum wheat was evaluated. Five fertilization treatments were evaluated for tomato and durum wheat crops: unfertilized control (TR1); compost A (TR2); compost B (TR3); ½ mineral and ½ compost A (TR4); and mineral fertilizer commonly used for the two crops (TR5). Concerning the processing tomato yield, TR5 and TR4 showed the best results (2.73 and 2.51 kg, respectively). The same trend was observed considering the marketable yield per plant. The only difference was related to the treatments that included the compost (2.32, 1.77, and 1.73 kg/plant for TR4, TR3, and TR2, respectively). As regards the qualitative parameters of tomato, the highest average weight of the fruits was found in the TR5, TR4, and TR3 treatments (respectively, 73.67 g, 70.34 g, and 68.10 g). For durum wheat, only the protein component was differentiated between treatments. Furthermore, wheat grain yield parameters generally increased by combined application of mineral fertilizer and compost.

Nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur mineralization in soil treated with amended municipal solid waste compost under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Purpose Our study had considered some organic amendments to enhance nutrient level of marketed municipal solid waste (MSW) compost for its potential use as fertilizer for growing crops in alluvial soils. Method We prepared three types of amended compost by mixing 20% mustard oil cake (MOC), and 30% poultry manure (PM) or cowdung (CD) or sugarcane press mud (SPM) with 50% MSW compost. The nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S) mineralization study was done in soil treated with three amended and one unamended composts with three replications through an incubation experiment at a temperature of 25 ± 1°C for 82 days under aerobic (field capacity) and anaerobic (submerged) conditions. The mineralization data were fitted to the first-order kinetic model. Results The soil NO3--N content was 2-3 times higher in aerobic condition than in anaerobic condition, while the NH4+-N was higher in anaerobic soils. The kinetic model reveals that poultry manure and sugarcane press mud had higher capability to supply N for use by the crops. The P release was the highest at day 15 with three-time higher availability in anaerobic condition. The S mineralization in soil was higher in field capacity than in submerged condition. ConclusionThe compost mixture comprising MSW, MOC and SPM in a ratio of 5:2:3 demonstrated the highest cumulative N, P and S mineralization in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The N and S availability decreased while the P availability increased in submerged soils which result has fertilizer management implications for wet land rice crop.

English

The experiment entitled “Efficacy of different types of Composts on growth, yield and quality parameters of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) cv. Kashi Pragati” was conducted during Rabi season of the year 2020-2021 on experimental farm of Department of Horticulture, AKS University, Satna (M.P.). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replicated 12 treatments viz., T0: Without compost (Control), T1: 100% Vermicompost + 100% Biogas slurry compost, T2: 100% Vermicompost + 100% Mushroom Spent compost, T3: 100% Biogas slurry compost + 100% Mushroom Spent compost, T4: 100% Vermicompost + 100% Biogas slurry compost +100% Mushroom Spent compost, T5: 100% Vermicompost + 50% Biogas slurry compost, T6: 100% Vermicompost + 50% Mushroom Spent compost, T7: 100% Biogas slurry compost + 50% Vermicompost, T8: 100% Biogas slurry compost + 50% Mushroom Spent compost, T9: 100% Mushroom Spent compost + 50% Vermicompost, T10: 100% Mushroom Spent compost + 50% Biogas slurry compost, T11: 50% Vermicompost + 50% Biogas slurry compost +50% Mushroom Spent compost. The results reveal that increase in Composts level had significant response on vegetative growth yield and quality of Okra. The treatment T4-100%Vermicompost +100% Biogas slurry compost +100% Mushroom Spent compost was found to be the best treatment among the different treatments with growth, yield and quality for Okra under satna condition.

The Efficacy of Functional Composts Manufactured Using Spent Coffee Ground, Rice Bran, Biochar, and Functional Microorganisms

Spent coffee grounds (SCGs), one of the world’s most discarded wastes, may be an excellent resource as an organic fertilizer because of its richness in nutrients. The objective of this study was to develop a quality functional compost using SCGs, rice bran, biochar, SCG extract, and functional microbes (plant growth promoting and plant pathogen-suppression bacteria), and then to test their functional efficacy for a potential commercial application. Essentially, two types of representative composts (Tr_1 and Tr_5 on the laboratory and pilot scale, respectively) were developed and passed all the official commercial quality standards. For pilot-scale composting, populations of Halotalea_uc, Corynebacterium nuruki, and Lactobacillus acidipiscis increased by augmentation of the composting microbes (MA-1) and the functional microbes (Bacillus cereus SB-3, Bacillus toyonensis SB-4, and Streptomyces sasae St-3). The higher total flavonoid content (11% increase compared to control) of pepper leaves in PT-1 and the higher TEAC in PT-1 (36.2%) and PT-2 (32.5%) proved the efficacy of the functional composts bioaugmented with the functional microbes. The seedling growth of radish seeds treated with Streptomyces sasae St-3 as a biocontrol agent significantly increased despite the presence of the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae. The total phenol content and TEAC in pepper plant leaves were significantly higher in Tr_5 than in the control (Tr_4), whereas there were no differences in Tr_4 and Tr_5 infested with the fungal pathogens, indicating that SB-3, SB-4, and St-3 cultures amended within the compost (Tr_5) may facilitate the production of the antioxidants in the absence of the pathogens. However, a significant reduction in the antioxidants (total phenolic content and TEAC) was observed in the pepper plants whose roots were infected with the pathogens, indicating that the pathogens could neutralize functionalities of the functional microbes. It was concluded that the enhancement of functional microbes in the compost would aid in the biological control of pathogens in the soil environment. Further functional compost studies are necessary in terms of mechanisms of plant growth-promotion, mechanisms of pathogen suppression by the actinobacterial biocontrol agents, and interactions between the two mechanisms, as well as quality enhancement of the composts.

Effects of complementary and sole applications of inorganic fertilizers and winery solid waste compost on maize yield and soil health indices

The development of plant nutrition systems that enhance soil productivity through the use of mineral fertilizers combined with organic fertilizers has recently gained increased attention. Two field experiments were conducted in 2018 (from February to June) and 2018/19 (from December 2018 to April 2019) to assess the effects of complementary application of inorganic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers (INPF) and winery solid waste (WSW) composts on maize yield and soil health indicators. The INPF and optimum rates of microbially inoculated and uninoculated WSW compost types were combined at different ratios (0:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100 w/w) to supply proportionate N and P amount. The recommended INPF rates for maize (200 kg N ha-1 and 90 kg P ha-1) were mixed and included as a standard control. The interaction of compost type and application rate had no significant effects on total biomass yield (TBY), grain yield (GY) and harvest index (HI). The compost type had significant effects on GY and HI in 2018/19. The TBYs obtained from the 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0 compost-INPF combinations were significantly higher than that recorded from untreated control across the compost types in 2018. The 25:75 and 50:50 compost-INPF combinations gave GYs which were significantly higher than that obtained from the untreated control in 2018/19. In many instances, soil pH and the contents of organic C, NO3, P, K, Na and Zn recorded from treatments with the different mix ratios of compost and INPF were higher than that recorded from the untreated control. Grain yield correlated significantly and positively with the contents of soil NH4 (r = 0.59) and P (r = 0.53) indicating that these nutrients contributed to the final GY. In conclusion, the joint application of compost and INPF at 25:75 and 50:50 ratios appears promising for improving GY. Increase in soil K content suggested the need for a controlled application of WSW compost followed by frequent soil testing exercise to monitor and avoid unnecessary K build-up that may induce the deficiencies of other plant nutrients.

Effect of gold nanoparticles laced anode on the bio-electro-catalytic activity and power generation ability of compost based microbial fuel cell as a coin cell sized device

As anodic performance can control the bio-electro-catalytic activity and overall power generation ability of cheaper compost based microbial fuel cells (MFC), bio-compatible gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) laced carbon fiber electrode is used for enhancing the efficiency. Casein peptide as a reducing and capping agent is used to synthesize bio-functional cubic AuNPs with absorption wavelength of 530 nm. The results of Cyclic Voltammetry (C–V) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that AuNPs laced electrode exhibited increased current density and better bio-electro-catalytic activity than the bare electrode which shows selective response with respect to type of compost and fuel concentration in a coin cell sized MFC. Current-Voltage (I–V) measurements show that due to the increase in the bio-electro-catalytic activity, the electrical power increases from 1.6 mW per m2 to 18.34 mW per m2 at room temperature in case of carbon rich compost at an optimized fuel concentration of 0.2 g per ml. The temperature dependence bipolar C–V measurements shows the enhancement in bio-electro-catalytic activity with increase in temperature. Also, significant improvement in durability and stability of MFC was observed with the lacing of AuNPs.

Qualitative assessment of compost engendered from municipal solid waste and green waste by indexing method

The present study aims at quantification of the quality of three varieties of composts made from municipal solid waste, green waste and combined waste by critically evaluating their physicochemical attributes, effect on soil fertility and metal pollution risk. Each waste type was treated with effective micro-organisms to compare the compost quality using Quality Control Indices. The effect of microbial consortia on the wastes was prominent resulting in decreased pH levels and increased electrical conductivity. C/N ratio ranged between 14-24 for waste composts without microbial treatment, and 8-11 for microbial treated wastes. The fertility parameter was observed to be more in microbial treated waste composts. Also, heavy metals concentration in waste compost without effective microbial treatment was higher than the types given EM. Based on the fertility and clean indices, the treated and untreated municipal solid waste and combined waste compost belonged to class RU-1 and class D, respectively. Moreover, compost prepared from treated and untreated green waste belonged to classes B and C respectively. In general, the prepared CW and GW composts have medium to high fertilizing potential and are fit for domestic as well as commercial use. However, MSW compost is not fit for agricultural purposes as it didn’t improve soil fertility to a greater extent but can be used as a soil conditioner in limited quantity as it can cause metal toxicity. For this reason, proper segregation of inputs at the start of a composting process is necessary to improve its quality before being put to agricultural use as any unbalanced or unchecked content of mixed waste will affect the overall compost quality.

Different Responses of Soil Dissolved Organic Matter to Different Types of Compost

This study explored the responses of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) to the application of different types of compost using a soil sample without compost as a control. Ultraviolet and fluorescence spectrum technology and EEM-PARAFAC was used to analyze DOM structure and driving factors in soil added with different proportion of cow dung compost (SCC), food and kitchen waste compost (SFC), and sludge compost (SCC). Compared with the control group, contents of AN, NH4+-N, DOC, and SOM in soil added with compost were significantly increased, and contents of SOM and DOC increased with the increasing of compost amount. When added compost in the same proportion, contents of AN, NO3--N, and DOC in SCC and SFC were significantly higher than those in SSC, while contents of NH4+-N and SOM were higher in SSC. The results of spectral analysis showed that the structure of conjugated benzene ring, hydrophobic component, quinone group, and chromogenic component in DOM of soil added with compost were significantly increased, the transition of unsaturated organic molecule (π→π*) was more active, the molecular weight of DOM increased, and the degree of humification was enhanced. When the amount of compost added is 5%, the influence of food and kitchen waste compost on DOM structure was greatest among three types of compost. At 10% and 20%, sludge compost had the greatest impact on DOM structure. The results of EEM-PARAFAC analysis showed that the relative content of fulvic acid-like substances with low molecular in DOM of soil added with compost was increased, while the relative content of proteoid-like substances decreased. 2D-COS analysis showed that compost affected the change order of fluorescence components in DOM. SCC and SFC were as follows:proteoid-like > fulvic acid-like > humus-like; in SSC, it was fulvic acid-like > proteoid-like > humus-like. The enhance of humification and the decrease of relative content of protein-like substances in DOM were related to increased DOC and AN, the relative content of humus-like in low molecular weight was positively correlated with the content of NO3--N, and the relative content of macromolecule fulvic acid-like was increased due to the input of SOM from compost.

Pengaruh Perbandingan Batang Sawit dalam Pembuatan Pupuk Kompos

The utilization of palm trunks has not been optimal and was a problem for oil palm plantation rejuvenation because of its huge amount, reaching 220 m3 / hectare. And it was a method to utilize waste trunks into products that are worth selling, environmentally friendly and give benefits for oil palm growers. In particularly, the target of this research was a product in the form of compost fertilizer made from raw waste palm trunks. The high nutrient resources owned by palm trunks were expected to produce high quality compost. Based on the result of the research of composting of palm trunks and the analysis of each of the above compost which include the level of C / N, C - Organic, N, P, K, pH and water ratio, it could be concluded that good compost type was found in variable compost 4 which with the result of C / N ratio 18,9%, C - Orgaik 21,5%, value of N, P, K approaching 4 that is 3,97%, pH 8,43% and water content 24%.

Ecofriendly management of root-knot nematodes on Eggplant using compost

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) became a true limited factor for eggplant production worldwide. Experiments were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of different compost types on RKN management in Eggplant under greenhouse conditions. Different compost types i.e. plant, animal, rice straw and maize wood compost at different doses 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100g/ pot were used. Results indicated that all evaluated treatments showed a great potential in decrease all related nematode parameters i.e. number of galls, egg masses, females/root system and second stage juveniles(J2s)/250g soil compared with control. The most effective treatment in reducing all nematode parameters was animal compost. Results illustrated that all compost types markedly increased eggplant growth parameters. The highest plant growth parameters enhancement obtained when plants treated with animal compost at 10g/ pot, followed by maize wood compost at the same rate of 10g/ pot. The lowest plant enhancement recorded with rice straw compost at 100g/ pot.

Build Your Own Mushroom Soil: Microbiota Succession and Nutritional Accumulation in Semi-Synthetic Substratum Drive the Fructification of a Soil-Saprotrophic Morel.

Black morel, a widely prized culinary delicacy, was once an uncultivable soil-saprotrophic ascomycete mushroom that can now be cultivated routinely in farmland soils. It acquires carbon nutrients from an aboveground nutritional supplementation, while it remains unknown how the morel mycelium together with associated microbiota in the substratum metabolizes and accumulates specific nutrients to support the fructification. In this study, a semi-synthetic substratum of quartz particles mixed with compost was used as a replacement and mimic of the soil. Two types of composts (C1 and C2) were used, respectively, plus a bare-quartz substratum (NC) as a blank reference. Microbiota succession, substrate transformation as well as the activity level of key enzymes were compared between the three types of substrata that produced quite divergent yields of morel fruiting bodies. The C1 substratum, with the highest yield, possessed higher abundances of Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi. In comparison with C2 and NC, the microbiota in C1 could limit over-expansion of microorganisms harboring N-fixing genes, such as Cyanobacteria, during the fructification period. Driven by the microbiota, the C1 substratum had advantages in accumulating lipids to supply morel fructification and maintaining appropriate forms of nitrogenous substances. Our findings contribute to an increasingly detailed portrait of microbial ecological mechanisms triggering morel fructification.

Influence of Compost from Post-Consumer Wood on Development, Nutrition State of Plants, Microbiological and Biochemical Parameters of Substrates in Zonal Pelargonium (Pelargonium zonale)

The purpose of this study was to assess the possibility of using compost made from post-consumer wood in zonal pelargonium (Pelargonium zonale) cv. ‘Tex Mex’ cultivation. The influence of compost on the plant’s development and nutritional state, as well as the microbiological and enzymatic activity of the substrate was examined. Two variants of compost marked with the following letters: OPA and OPB were used. Both variants consisted of post-consumer wood waste (OP) (70% of weight) mixed with powdery waste from processing MDF boards (6%), mature compost from fiberboard waste (19%), high peat (4%), water and a biological inoculum “Activit Las”. Thirty kilograms of urea in two portions per prism were added to the OPA variant while ammonium nitrate (1.5 kg per prism), magnesium sulphate (0.4 kg per prism), potassium phosphate (0.8kg per prism) and calcium phosphate (0.9 kg per prism) were added to the OPB variant. The plants were cultivated into pots 12 cm in diameter and a capacity of 659 dm3 in the substrates consisting of peat with the addition of compost at different volume ratios. It was found that the medium type had a significant influence on the growth and flowering of the zonal pelargonium. The type of compost used was the determinant for microbiological total counts and activity. The chemical composition of the substrates significantly modified the plants’ nutritional state in terms of macro- and microelements. In summary, the study demonstrated that good quality ornamental plants can be successfully grown in peat substrate containing 25% or 50% of post-consumer wood compost.