Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFECTIVE MICROBIAL COMPOST – AN ALTERNATIVE NITROGEN SOURCE TO CROPS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIO

D. Narender Babu, P. Prabhu Prasadini, T. Ramesh and J.V.N.S. Prasad

Abstract

Nitrogenous fertilizers are the main source of N2O released into the atmosphere which contributes to about 75% of the total N2O emissions of the country. One of the options is to meet the nitrogen requirements through organic sources, whose application has several associated benefits. These inorganic fertilizers can be substituted with organic fertilizers like farm yard manure (FYM), vermi-compost, etc. but their quantum of availability is limited due to several reasons. One of the options is effective microbial (EM) compost prepared by effluent treatment plants (ETP), which is obtained by treating the surrounding industrial effluents as the heavy metals of some of these ETPs were observed to be below permissible limit as prescribed by USEPA-503 rules and commission of European communities. An incubation experiment was carried out to study the availability of major and micro nutrients as well as the heavy metals in the EM compost prepared by Jeedimetla ETP for their availability and to know their toxic levels in two types of soils, i.e., alfisol and vertisols. The results revealed that the EM compost has enhanced the availability of essential plant nutrients. Some of the bio available heavy metals (Pb and Ni) decreased with incubation, where as elements like Co, Cd and Cr were not in significant quantity up to 60 days after incubation in both the soils. The influence of amendments viz., single super phosphate and flyash which were added to different doses of EM compost was found to be insignificant with respect to availability of heavy metals. The study indicates that utilization of EM compost as organic manure not only helps in preventing the environmental pollution and also N2O emissions but also supplies both major and micronutrients, and can be an alternative option to the native manures like FYM.