Vol. 7, Issue 9 (2018)

Author(s):
Pankaj Kumari, Tanvi, Suman Chaudhary, Rinku Dhanker and Sneh Goyal

Abstract:
Recycling of crop residues in agriculture through production of compost brings the much needed organic matter to the soils in tropical areas. The aim of this study was to monitor the chemical changes during the co-composting of paddy straw with distillery effluent and analysis of maturity parameters of prepared compost. Composting was studied using seven different treatments of unchopped paddy straw along with different concentrations of distillery effluent, 10% cattle dung and microbial consortia of three fungi (Aspergillus awamorii, Paecilomyces fusisporus and Trichoderma viride). At 90 day of composting, minimum 30.39% organic Carbon was observed in treatment T5 containing 30% distillery effluent along with all other components. Maximum total nitrogen was 1.89% in treatment T6 (40% distillery effluent). Ammonical nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, total and available phosphorous and total and available potassium increased significantly with increase in concentration of distillery effluent at 90 day of composting. Initial temperature of composting material was 37 and 38^°C and it increased upto 55^°C in treatment T4, T5 and T7, finally it fall down to 30 and 31^°C in these treatments. All these results indicate that cattle dung and microbial consortium of these fungi could be used for carrying out rice straw composting at farmers field.