Table Of ContentSustainable Development and Biodiversity
Volume 3
Series editor
Kishan Gopal Ramawat
M.L. Sukhadia University Botany Department, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
This book series provides complete, comprehensive and broad subject based re-
views about existing biodiversity of different habitats and conservation strategies
in the framework of different technologies, ecosystem diversity, and genetic di-
versity. The ways by which these resources are used with sustainable management
and replenishment are also dealt with. The topics of interest include but are not
restricted only to sustainable development of various ecosystems and conservation
of hotspots, traditional methods and role of local people, threatened and endangered
species, global climate change and effect on biodiversity, invasive species, impact
of various activities on biodiversity, biodiversity conservation in sustaining liveli-
hoods and reducing poverty, and technologies available and required. The books in
this series will be useful to botanists, environmentalists, marine biologists, policy
makers, conservationists, and NGOs working for environment protection.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11920
Dinesh K. Maheshwari
Editor
Composting for Sustainable
Agriculture
1 3
Editor
Dinesh K. Maheshwari
Dept. of Botany and Microbiology
Gurukul Kangri University
Haridwar (Uttarakhand)
India
ISSN 2352-474X ISSN 2352-4758 (electronic)
ISBN 978-3-319-08003-1 ISBN 978-3-319-08004-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-08004-8
Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014952660
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014
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Preface
The global consensus to reduce inputs of agrochemicals, which are perceived as
being hazardous in nature, has provided opportunity for the development of novel
benign sustainable crop management strategies. One of the strategies is the appli-
cation of effective microbial product in the form of ‘Compost’, beneficial for both
farmers and ecosystem.
Microorganisms are able to degrade solid waste organic material into compost,
which is a mixture of decayed organic matter, manure etc. Incomplete microbial
degradation of organic waste involving both aerobic and anaerobic process lead to
compost formation. If such products is incorporated in to soil, increases soil fertil-
ity and enhances plant growth and development. The beneficial activities bestowed
upon plants by compost utilization are multifaceted, hence most promising alterna-
tives for achieving sustainable agricultural production.
The present book entitled “Composting for Sustainable Agriculture” comprises
13 chapters contributed by leading experts having authoritative experience both
in teaching and research on fundamental and applied aspects of compost science.
The intensification through nutrient cycling, aerobic-anaerobic processing of or-
ganic waste, lignocellulosic bioconversion including both terrestrial and aquatic
biomass residue into compost, its amendment into soil ensure farmers to obtain bet-
ter crop productivity are suitably described. A due account is provided with respect
to physio-chemical and biological parameters and their analysis in mature compost
for quality assessment. The application of metabolites enzymes of cellulolytic ther-
mophiles has also been focused. Compost tea is a watery extract of microorganisms
and nutrients acts as potential source for the management of foliar and fruit diseases
besides municipal solid waste, oil palm waste. Compost proved efficient in im-
provement of agricultural soil fertility have also been included.
The book provides adequate new insights to students, teachers, NGO’s and other
professionals interested to enrich the subject of knowledge of compost process,
analysis and application particularly in the context of Environmental studies, Bio-
technology, Microbiology, Agriculture, Plant protection, Agronomy and field prac-
tices in crop ecosystem.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the contributors for their con-
tribution for mutual co-operation of scientific benefits. I acknowledge with thanks
v
vi Preface
the assistance rendered by my research students Mohit and Shrivardhan. I owe my
sincere thanks to Dr. Valeria Rinaudo and Dr. Ineke from the publisher Springer for
their valuable support. Last but not the least, I owe thanks to my wife Dr. Sadhana
and my children Dr. Charul and Ashish for taking care of me during this project.
Uttarakhand, India Dinesh K. Maheshwari
Contents
1 E cological Intensification through Nutrients Recycling and
Composting in Organic Farming ............................................................ 1
Francesco G. Ceglie and Hamada M. Abdelrahman
2 I ntensification of Aerobic Processing of the Organic Wastes
into Compost............................................................................................. 23
A. N. Ivankin, Urja Pandya and Meenu Saraf
3 L ignocellulose Biodegradation in Composting ...................................... 43
Martin A. Hubbe
4 B io-composting of Aquatic Biomass Residue and its
Amendments in Soil Reclamation........................................................... 67
Dinesh Kumar Maheshwari and Mohit Agarwal
5 P hysical, Chemical and Biological Parameters for Compost
Maturity Assessment: A Review ............................................................. 83
Rajinder Singh Antil, Dev Raj, Nuha Abdalla and Kazuyuki Inubushi
6 T hermophilic Bacilli and their Enzymes in Composting ..................... 103
Abhishek Bhattacharya and Brett I. Pletschke
7 A gronomic, Soil Quality and Environmental Consequences
of Using Compost in Vegetable Production ........................................... 125
Simon M. Eldridge, K. Yin Chan and Nerida J. Donovan
8 Principles of Compost-based Plant Diseases Control and
Innovative New Developments ................................................................ 151
Catello Pane and Massimo Zaccardelli
9 Integrating Compost Teas in the Management of Fruit and
Foliar Diseases for Sustainable Crop Yield and Quality ...................... 173
Katherine J. Evans and Alice K. Percy
vii
viii Contents
10 Microbial Biomass Improvement Following Municipal
Solid Waste Compost Application in Agricultural Soil ...................... 199
Olfa Bouzaiane, Naceur Jedidi and Abdennaceur Hassen
11 B io-composting Oil Palm Waste for Improvement
of Soil Fertility ........................................................................................ 209
A. W. Gandahi and M. M. Hanafi
12 D ecomposition of Organic Materials into High Value
Compost for Sustainable Crop Productivity ....................................... 245
Dinesh Kumar Maheshwari, Shrivardhan Dheeman and
Mohit Agarwal
13 C ompost: A Tool to Sustainable Urban and Peri-Urban
Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa? .................................................... 269
Blaise Pascal Bougnom, Onana Boyomo, Dieudonné Nwaga,
Jean Justin Essia Ngang and François Xavier Etoa
Index ................................................................................................................ 285
Contributors
Nuha Abdalla Department of Soil Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University,
Hisar, India
Hamada M. Abdelrahman Soil Science Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo
University, Giza, Egypt
Hassen Abdennaceur Laboratoire Traitement et Recyclage des Eaux, Centre de
Recherches et des Technologies des Eaux (CERTE), Tunis, Tunisie
Mohit Agarwal Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukul Kangri
University, Haridwar, India
Rajinder Singh Antil Department of Soil Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural
University, Hisar, India
Abhishek Bhattacharya Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and
Biotechnology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
Bougnom Blaise Pascal Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology,
University of Yaounde 1, Yaounde, Cameroon
Francesco G. Ceglie Organic Farming Dept., Mediterranean Agronomic Institute
of Bari—CIHEAM-IAMB, Valenzano, Italy
K. Yin Chan Formerly NSW Department of Primary Industries, Richmond,
NSW, Australia
Shrivardhan Dheeman Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukul
Kangri University, Haridwar, India
Nwaga Dieudonné Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology, University
of Yaounde 1, Yaounde, Cameroon
Nerida J. Donovan Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, NSW Department
of Primary Industries, Menangle, NSW, Australia
Simon M. Eldridge Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute, NSW Department
of Primary Industries, Wollongbar, NSW, Australia
ix
Description:The dramatic worldwide increase in agricultural and industrial productivity has created severe environmental problems. Soil and groundwater reservoirs have been polluted with pesticides, xenobiotics and agro-chemicals. The global consensus to reduce inputs of chemical pesticides and agrochemical fer
