CHANGES IN MICROBIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES DURING COMPOSTING OF SIAM WEED (Chromolaena odorata) AND COWDUNG

Abstract

Three compost samples were prepared in this study from Siam weed (Chromolaena odorata) and cowdung. Sample A was prepared from Cow dung and siam weed at ratio 100g: 100g, Sample B was prepared from 200g chopped siam weed and sample C contained 200g cowdung. These three sam-ples were composted in plastic drums perforated for aeration and each sample were replicated three times. The content in the drums were regularly turned and monitored at 1, 10, 30 and 60 days for mi-crobiological and physicochemical properties. The microbiological and physicochemical analyses of the compost were carried out using standard procedures. Bacterial, Coliform and Fungal count in-creased from day 1 to the 30th day and thereafter decreased from 30th day to the 60th day in all the composting samples. The bacteria species isolated and identified were Pseudomonas fragilis, Pseu-domonas nitrificans, Proteus mirabilis, E. coli, Streptococcus faecium, Micrococcus luteus, Clostridium perfringes, Bacillus cereus, Proteus morganii, Micrococcus acidophilus. Fungal species were Aspergil-lus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium oxysporium, Penicillum chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger, Mucor sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The pH of the composted samples ranges between 5.8 to 6.9. The nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content increased with days of composting but the heavy metals decreased with days of composting. The sulfatase, phosphatase, dehydrogenase, amyl-ase and cellulose enzymes in the three samples increased from day 1 to the 60th day. Sulfatase en-zyme which was the highest ranged from 25 to 76.5% in the three sample, phosphatase (14 to 60.5%), dehydrogenase (20.5 to 55.0%), cellulose (16.5 to 49%) and amylase which was the least enzyme recorded ranged from 5.0 to 38%.