Comparative Study of Microbial Preparations for Accelerated Decomposition of Horse Manure with Sawdust

Introduction: Organic livestock waste represents both a valuable resource and a source of environmental risk. Its effective utilization reduces greenhouse gas emissions, mitigates epidemiological threats, and contributes to soil fertility restoration. The processing of horse manure with high wood bedding content, typical for equestrian facilities, remains insufficiently studied. Given the resistance of lignocellulosic materials to microbial degradation, there is a need to select and validate microbial preparations capable of accelerating composting of such substrates.

Purpose: To conduct a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of microbial preparations based on decomposition rate, agronomic value of composted substrates, and the concentration of water-soluble nutrient elements.

Materials and Methods: The experiment involved piles of fresh horse manure with sawdust bedding treated with microbial preparations: “Ferkon D,” “Ferkon DN,” “Biolatic Universal,” and “Baikal EM-1,” as well as an untreated control. Temperature dynamics, pile shrinkage, seed germination, and growth of cress and spinach were evaluated. Water-soluble forms of potassium and phosphorus were measured using capillary electrophoresis (“Kapel-105M”). Statistical data processing was performed using Microsoft Excel (2021).

Results: All treatments with microbial preparations enhanced the thermophilic phase of composting and improved compost quality compared to the control. The most pronounced effects were observed in the “Ferkon DN” variant: maximum temperature (41 °C), highest shrinkage, increased germination, significant shoot length (up to 15.54 cm for cress and 3.86 cm for spinach, p < 0.001), and the highest concentrations of potassium (0.19%) and phosphorus (0.28%).

Conclusion: The study confirmed the effectiveness of microbial preparations in accelerating the decomposition of horse manure with wood bedding. “Ferkon DN” showed the best performance, likely due to the action of its enzymatic complex containing cellulase and Bacillus thuringiensis. These findings support the potential of using this preparation in small-scale manure recycling systems, particularly for lignocellulose-rich substrates.

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