Comparative study of physio-chemical properties and quality of wheat straw compost by different methods.

The investigation was aimed to determine the characteristics of different composts prepared by using wheat straw adopting suitable techniques, which are easily adopted by farmers and are cheaper and cost-effective, having higher manurial value. Amongst different methods of composting, aerobic methods required more moisture than anaerobic ones. The maximum content of nutrients in compost, i.e. N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn were recorded in ‘Nagpur’ and ‘Middle aeration’ (Ma) composting methods over others, whereas content of these nutrients were very less in ‘Nadep’ and ‘Local’ composting methods. The value of pH and EC was higher in the anaerobic composting methods than aerobic ones. The maximum content of ash and higher production of compost in ‘Nadep’ composting method is associated with the content of 40% soil with wheat straw. Thus, recycling of wheat straw by composting is becoming an acceptable practice for converting these organic complex materials into useful soil amendments.