Microbial and physico-chemical dynamics associated with chicken feather compost preparation vis-à-vis its impact on the growth performance of tomato crop

• Published in: Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology 2023-11, Vol.54, p.102885, Article 102885
• Main Authors: Chand, Subhash, Devi, Sunita, Devi, Diksha, Arya, Priyanka, Manorma, Kumari, Kesta, Kritika, Sharma, Megha, Bishist, Rohit, Tomar, Manica
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chicken feather compost; Chicken feathers; Composting; Cow dung; Keratinolytic bacteria; Tomato crop
• ISSN: 1878-8181; 1878-8181
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bcab.2023.102885

The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of five potent keratinolytic bacterial strains, including Bacillus halotolerans L2EN1, B. cereus N27, B. cereus N14, B. megaterium N35, and B. halotolerans DPE11, in the preparation of chicken feather compost (CFC) using chicken feathers (CF) and cow dung (CD) as substrates. The experiment that involved two setups (Set-I, with a keratinolytic bacterial consortium, and Set-II, without consortium) and five treatment combinations (T1 - CF only; T2 - 3CF:1CD; T3 - 1CF:1CD; T4 - 1CF:3CD; T5 - CD only) was conducted in both plastic pots and composting pits for six months. Microbiological and physico-chemical analyses of CFC conducted monthly revealed that treatment T4 in Set-I demonstrated the most favorable microbiological (bacteria: 9.40 Log CFU/g; fungi: 4.20 Log CFU/g; actinomycetes: 3.49 Log CFU/g; enteric: 7.62 Log CFU/g; spore-formers: 4.96 Log CFU/g; diazotrophs: 6.38 Log CFU/g; proteolytic bacteria: 7.98 Log CFU/g) and physico-chemical (pH: 7.53; temperature: 34.79 °C; EC: 0.87 mmhos/cm; moisture: 45.10%; non-volatiles: 21.25%; volatiles: 78.75%; organic carbon: 45.68%; N: 7.02%; P: 0.68%; K: 2.06%; C:N ratio: 15.70) characteristics. Subsequent efficacy testing of varying proportions (%) of T4 (T1 – 5.0, T2 – 10.0, T3 – 15.0, T4 – 20.0) on tomatoes, demonstrated significantly superior growth performance than the control (without CFC). Hence, application of CFC @ 10% may be recommended as an excellent organic fertilizer for tomatoes. In conclusion, co-composting CF (1 part) with CD (3 parts) employing keratinolytic bacteria offers an eco-friendly approach for repurposing CF waste into a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer. •In CFC prep, Set-I with keratinolytic bacteria outperformed Set-II (no bacteria).•An early and prolonged thermophilic phase was achieved in Set-I.•Reduction in composting time was observed in Set-I compared to Set-II.•Adding 10% CFC to the pot mix boosts tomato growth more than the control (no CFC).•Chicken feather compost recipe = CF + CD (1:3 ratio) + keratinolytic bacteria @10%.