Agriculture Industry

Wealth out of Waste: Poultry Litter Compost and Vermicompost by incorporating Rice Hull developed by ICAR-DPR and ICAR-CRIDA

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03 February 2022, New Delhi: The accumulation of a large amount of wastes, especially, manure and litter generated by the intensive production is one of the major issues being faced by the Poultry Industry. It is causing major environmental problems if disposed of in the field without any treatment. The utilization of the litter for productive purposes by converting Poultry Litter (Waste) to Vermicompost (Wealth) is one of the best solutions to the problem.

The Poultry Litter generated could be successfully converted into the Compost by mixing with Rice Hulls in the proper ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen (C/N ratio) Content present in the litter and in the Rice Hulls. The ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad and ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad prepared the Vermicompost from the Compost by introducing Earthworms into the pile of Compost.

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(1) Vermicompost Preparation with a C/N Ratio of 35:1

The Compost was prepared to have a C/N Ratio of 35:1 by mixing Poultry Litter with Rice Hulls having Relative Humidity of 45%, pH 5.5 and Temperature 39C. Around 35 Kgs of Litter was mixed with 84 Kgs of Rice Hulls. The humidity was maintained at around 45% to 50%. The Rice Hull was properly mixed with Poultry Litter. The temperature was changing due to the growth of the microbes inside the pile. The Compost was ready on the 98th day. Once the compost was ready, the Earthworms were introduced into the pile of Compost for converting it into Vermicompost. The final product (Vermicompost) was ready on the 116th day after the introduction of Earthworms. The Relative Humidity was 50%, pH (5.5) and the Temperature (25C) on the 80th day.

(2) Vermicompost Preparation with a C/N Ratio of 30:1

The Compost was prepared to have a C/N Ratio of 30:1 by mixing litter with Rice Hulls as a supplement having Relative Humidity of 47%, pH 5.5 and Temperature 40C. About 51 Kgs of Litter was mixed with 84.15 Kgs of Rice Hulls. The Rice Hull was properly mixed with poultry litter. With time, the temperature of the pile kept on changing due to the growth of the microbes. The Compost was ready on the 98th day. Once the Compost was ready, the Earthworms were introduced into the pile of Compost for converting it into Vermicompost. The final product (Vermicompost) was ready on the 116th day after the introduction of Earthworms. The Relative Humidity was 50%, pH (5.5) and the Temperature of the pile (24C) on the final day.

(3) Vermicompost preparation with a C/N ratio of 25:1

The Compost was prepared to have a C/N Ratio of 25:1 by mixing Litter with Rice Hulls as a supplement having Relative Humidity 48%, pH 5.5 and Temperature 42C during the initial days. The temperature kept on changing due to the multiplication of the microbes in the pile. For making Compost, 84 Kgs of Litter was mixed with 84 Kgs of Rice Hulls. The Compost was ready on the 98th day. After the Compost was ready, the Earthworms were introduced into the pile for converting it into Vermicompost. The final product (Vermicompost) was ready on the 116th day after the introduction of Earthworms. The Relative Humidity was 50%, pH (5.5) and Temperature (25C) on the final day of the Vermicompost formation.

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