EFFECTS OF BIOCHAR ON POULTRY LITTER BASED COMPOSTING

Abstract

To investigate poultry waste composting, one pilot scale experiment was conducted at the Research field of the Department of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh from February to May, 2023 to produce good quality compost using Poultry litter (PL), Biochar, Rice husk ash (RHA), Cow dung (CD), Sugarcane bagasse (SB), Rice straw (RS). To monitor the composting process and evaluate the compost quality, some physicochemical parameters (temperature, moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium, sulphur etc.) were estimated at different phases of composting. Composting duration was 90-110 days. Biochar was used in Bin 1 and Bin 3. Excellent physicochemical characteristics had found in Bin 3 (C/N: 21.05, TKN: 1.38%, OM: 44.3%, TOC: 25.59%, pH: 7.05, EC: 4678 µs/cm). Results showed that Biochar based poultry litter compost had significant effect on pH level and it also increased the mineral nutrients. Moisture also played an important role in temperature evolution during composting. Nevertheless, composting materials and composting duration and their ratios are crucial factors that determine the quality of the final product. Biochar based poultry litter reduces losses of nitrogen and other nutrient elements through volatilization. Produced compost from Bin 3 was used in Okra cultivation to evaluate its impact during Okra production and its yield. Therefore, Biochar based poultry litter compost showed the highest yield (14.71 ton ha-1) compared to other fertilizers. Furthermore, this type of fertilizer, compared to conventional unamended poultry litter based type, increased microbial activity, nutrient availability, and biomass yield of okra in selected fertilizer doses.