Assessment of variation in chemical properties at different stages of various crop residues in composting

Abstract

The enriched composts were prepared by using different crops residue along with various mineral sources. Different chemical parameters were assessed during decomposition of crop residues at regular intervals. The total organic carbon was decreased during decomposition process. At the end of composting, lower organic carbon content (24.90), lower C/N ratio (19.63) was noted in compost of 25% wheat straw + 25% shredded cotton stalk + 25% glyricidia leaves + 25% sorghum stubbles (T6). Besides, total N was also increased significantly (1.27%) in T6 during decomposition of crop residues. It is evident from the results that C: N ratio was gradually declined throughout the period of decomposition in all treatments. At the end of composting, the lowest pH (7.18) was observed in treatment (T6). Among various crop residues used for preparation of compost, composition of T6 was found best suitable.