L-2 Methods of preparation of bulky and

concentrated manures - Composting

techniques- Aerobic and anaerobic
(Bangalore & Coimbatore method) enriched
FYM and vermicompost.
Compost (or) Artificial FYM (or) Synthetic FYM :
“Dark coloured powdered material derived from
decomposition of plant refuse by the microbes in the
presence of little amount of soluble nitrogen”.
Urban compost :
Compost derived from urban waste materials.

History
During 1921 at Rotham Stead, Hutchinson and Richards
produced a material called as synthetic FYM from straws.

They mix the straw with soluble N, P, ash and allow to

decompose under aerobic condition. The organism which is
responsible is “Cytophaga hutchinsoni”. Finally they got a manure
which is closely resemble to FYM which is called as artificial or
synthetic FYM.
 word compost is derived from the Latin word “COMPONERE” to
mean put together.

Compost: Compost is a product of decomposition of

plant and animal wastes with various additives .
Has the largest variation of all organic material

Composting: Composting is a process of converting

organic matter in to manure in a short time by
accelerating fermentation process under controlled
conditions is called composting
Principles in compost making

a. Composition of refuse material

It consists of (a) Cellulose or Hemi cellulose: 60 – 80%
(b) Lignin :15 – 20%
(c) H2O soluble material :5 – 12%

(d) Protein :2 -3 %
b. Mechanism of the decomposition brought out by micro organism.
c. The knowledge of the metabolism of the micro organism involved

Essential requirements for composting

•A bulky organic manure

•A suitable starter
•Addition of enough water
•Aeration
Important basic rules for the production of good quality compost:

•organic matter is partially decomposed and converted by microbes it

requirse -i.e moisture content: 50% and 50 % aeration

• Microbes also require nitrogen for synthesizing their body cells [the
optimum C: N ratio of the composting material is 20:1 to 30:1]

•Soil microorganisms has to synthesis a valuable permanent humus and

stable soil crumbs. A typical compost earthworm is Eisenia fetida .

• Certain additives - lime, earth, gypsum, rock phosphate act as effective

additives.

• The addition of nitrogen (0.1 to 1 %) is important in case of large C:N

ratio of the composting material. Addition of lime (0.3 to 0.5 %), if
sufficient lime is not present. The preparation of compost takes 2-3
months.
Composting accomplishes several beneficial goals
•It reduces the bulk of waste
•It lowers the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of waste
•It improves waste’s physical characteristics and makes it easier
to handle
•It reduces pathogens and eliminate weed seeds
•It reduces the land use for land filling and for surface
application of waste.
General properties of commercially accepted compost.:

N% - >2 Color - Brown Black

C: N - <20 Odor - Earthy

Ash % - 10-20 Water Holding Capacity (%) - 150-200

Moisture % - 10-20 CEC (Meq 100 g-1) - 75-100

P% - 0.15-1.5 Reducing Sugar (%) - <35%

 Composting techniques
Aerobic Anaerobic
In the presence of oxygen In the absence of oxygen
Energy is released / lost Energy is conserved
End products are CO2, water End products are organic
& energy acids & other compounds
Faster Slower
More labour Less labour
Methods of compost making
ADCO process - Hutchinson and Richards
Activated process - Fowler and Rege.
Indore Process - Howard and Ward.
Bangalore Method - C.N. Acharya.
Coimbatore Method - AC & RI.
ADCO process
Agricultural Development Company- by Hutchinson, H.B and Richards,
E.H. during 1914-1918,
at Rothamsted Experimental Station, England.

Materials needed
1. Straw and other wastes -Basic raw material)
2. Ammonium sulphate/Ammonium phosphate /Super phosphate/Muriate of
potash Ground limestone/ urea – Starters• The basic raw material straw is spread
in layers and sprinkled over with a
solution of ammonium sulphate.

• Then powdered lime stone is applied as

broadcast.

• Then another straw layer is put on.

• The piling of the layer is continued till a

decent heap of convenient height is
built up
3 months of fermentation- synthetic FYM
 . Bangalore process [ Aerobic and anaerobic process] :

This process of composting was developed by Dr.C.N.Acharya

in the year 1949.

1.Basic raw material used : Any organic material

2. Starters or inoculants : FYM or mixture of dung and

urine or litter [Un decomposed]

3. Additives : Bone meal or oil cakes , wood ash

Starter used is night soil

Procedure: [Pit size: 20 x 4 x 3 feet]:
•raw material is spread in a pit of 20 x 4 x 3 feet of 6 " layer, moistened with
20-30 gallons of water if the material is dry.
↓
•Over this FYM or preferably a mixture of dung, urine and litter (un-
decomposed) from the cattle shed is placed as a layer 2 " thickness.
↓
•It is again covered on the top with a layer of earth to a thickness of 6 “.
↓
•It is beneficial to mix the earth with bone meal or oil cakes ,wood ash etc., to
improve manurial value of the compost.
↓
•The piling of layers is continued till the heap raises above the ground level to
a height of 2 feet.
↓
•Then the heap is kept open for one week to facilitate aerobic decomposition.

•Later the heap is plastered with a layer of moist clay for anaerobic
fermentation to occur.

•Fissures or cleavages(cracks) that occur in the clay layer, have to be sealed off
periodically..
• The compost will be ready in 4-5 months period starting from the day of
preparation.
• This process is called as aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of
compost

In this process the basic raw material is not so well decomposed as in

the other methods.
But organic matter and N contents are well conserved. The number of
turnings are reduced. The out turn of the compost is relatively greater and
cheapest process .
Coimbatore process (Anerobic &aerobic process)

1. Raw organic matter

2. Starters: Powdered bone meal and cattle dung and water emulsion prepared by
mixing Dung in water @ 5-10 kg dung in 5 to 10 liters water.

Procedure [Pit: 12 x 6 x 3 feet]:

Basic raw material loosely spread to a depth of 9" and water is sprinkled.

one kg of powdered bone meal is broadcasted and above this an emulsion of 5-

10 kg of fresh cattle dung in 5-10 liters of water is applied.

Repeat this process until a heap 2 feet above ground level is formed.

entire exposed surface area of heap is plastered with mud to facilitate semi-
aerobic fermentation which would takes place for above 4-6 wks

After 4-6 weeks, the mud plaster is removed to permit aerobic fermentation.

The decomposition is complete in 3-4 months and is fit for application to the field.
 Vermicomposting

Definition of vermicomposting: Vermicomposting is a method

of making compost, with the use of earthworms, which generally live in
soil eat biomass and excrete it in digested form.

Definition of Vermiculture:
Vermiculture means scientific method of breeding and rearing
earthworm in controlled conditions.

Vermitechnology:
Vermitechnology is the combination of vermiculture and
vermicomposting.
 Vermicomposting
pit or heap method (10 x 4 x 2 feet) -earth worms activity is confined to the 2
feet depth

1st layer : bedding material of 1" thick with soft leaves

2nd layer : 9" thick organic residue layer finely chaffed material

3rd layer : Dung + water equal mixture of 2" layer .

Continued the layer up to pile to ground level & Maintain proper moisture and
temperature.

At the day of 24th, 4000 worms are introduced in to the pit [1m2 =2000 worms ]
- regular watering
Stop watering before one week of harvest. Period : 90 days

All the worms spread across the pit come in close and penetrate each other in
the form of ball in 2 or 3 locations .
the material is sieved in 2 mm sieve & turn over of the compost is 75 %

[Note : Vermicomposting is done under thatched roof to protectworms against

rain and sun ] Eisenia fetida
Nutrient composition of vermicompost

S.No. Nutrient Content

1 Organic carbon 9.15 to 17.98 %
2 Total nitrogen 1.5 to 2.10 %
3 Total phosphorus 1.0 to 1.50 %
4 Total potassium 0.60 %
5 Ca and Mg 22.00 to 70.00 m.e / 100 g
6 Available S 128 to 548 ppm
7 Copper 100 ppm
8 Iron 1800 ppm
9 Zinc 50 ppm
•Enzymes : Protease ,Lipase ,Amylase , Cellulose

Conversion rates:
1000 earth worms may convert 5 kg waste material per day
1000 worms weighs about a kilogram
Advantages of composting over direct application:
1. no immobilization in compost because of narrow C:N ratio
2. compost is humified and have a structure of crumb and granular.
3. It is hygienic, pathogens and weeds seeds are destroyed.
uses
Increased the availability of N,P, K.
Modifies the physical, chemical, biological properties of
the soil.
Vermicompost have higher base exchange capacity.
Improves the concentrations of exchangeable Ca, Na,
Mg, Mo in higher level
Good for water management.
 Aerobic decomposition Anaerobic decomposition
takes place in the presence of takes place in the absence of
O2 Oxygen
CO2 is produced Methane gas is produced
High water content is required Less water content is required
Organic matter conserved is organic matter conserved is
around 50-60 % around 75%
Around 25-50 % N is lost 20 % nitrogen is lost and more N
is conserved
Pathogens are only killed due to pathogens weed seeds are killed
Temperature built up is more due to antibiogens

More labour is required for Less labour is required

turning
Time taken 3-4 months 5-6 months
 Enriched farmyard manure
Take 750 Kg of well decomposed farmyard manure.

After sieving , the recommended dose of P for the crops grown

is mixed with the sieved FYM.

The mixture is spread in the form of heap and plastering or

fill in polythene bag /is done with red earth paste.-moisture
maintain

Maintain the anaerobic condition for 30 days.

The nitrogenous &K fertilizer recommended for basal dose of the

crop to be grown is mixed and apply immediately before sowing.

Uses
Recommended for rainfed crops which require P for root proliferation
 Enriched Micronutrients

 Mix the recommended dose of ZnSO4 (25 kg ha-1) with well

rotten FYM at 1:10 ratio
 Sprinkle water to keep the mixture moist.

 Fill the mixture in a polythene gunny bag and tie it with rope
to make it air tight
 Open the bag after one month of anaerobic incubation and
apply to soil at the time of sowing
 Micronutrient fertilizer use efficiency and crop uptake can be
improved. The crop yield will also be increased by 10 – 20 per
cent.
THANKS