A comparative study on compost preparation using lab prepared eco-enzyme and its effect on growth of plant species Phaseolus vulgaris

The augmented rise in population in the last few decades has resulted in gigantic increase in the solid waste production in India and around the Globe. The conventional composting methods are slow and sluggish process that has resulted in the advancement techniques for the emergence in new rapid composting processes. Use of eco-enzyme is such a rapid technique that helps to degrade the solid waste in a very accelerative manner. The present study has been carried out by preparing eco-enzyme using the kitchen waste and with the objective to utilize it for degradation of agricultural wastes and preparing compost for its utilization for different plant species as soil conditioner and fertilizer. The prepared eco-enzyme was added during the composting process in each batch with concentration variation of 10%, 15% and 20% (V/V) once every week. The pH value of the �nal prepared compost was found to be within neutral rage of 6.51 ± 0.03–7.88 ± 0.50 in all the samples. The maximum organic nitrogen concentration of 1.02 ± 0.04% has been observed in prepared sawdust compost with 10% eco-enzyme. The maximum vigor index value of 587 cm has been assessed in the compost produced using sawdust with 10% eco-enzyme when used for plant species Phaseolus vulgaris. The present study will be having two-fold advantage as the environment will get rid of such wastes as the same can be utilized as resource and it will also be helpful for the farmers from economical point of view.


Introduction
Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy (Rathore, 2010), making India the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables after China.However agriculture sector leads to accumulation of huge amount of lignocellulosic biomass at different stages of farming (Pathak et al. 2017).Major contributor to the waste generation in Indian society is agriculture and municipal sectors (Srilatha et al. 1995).Despite different governmental and non-governmental organization working in eld of solid waste management the society is not able to get rid of waste due increasing rates of waste generation over management.The world's population is predicted to grow by 2.4 billion people by 2050, putting additional strain on agricultural systems for food, fuel, and bre production, and posing a threat to their ability to achieve food security and environmental sustainability.Municipal solid waste, agriculture waste and poultry waste have a high organic content which pollutes environment as soil water and air (Madan and Yadav 2012).To maintain proper health and hygiene Urbanization, rural settlement, and institutions are all reducing the amount of cultivable land available around the world.Soil health is essential for long-term agricultural output and the preservation of important ecosystem processes.However, increasing agricultural production while enhancing soil health is a critical scienti c problem in response to the effects of global climate change.The destruction of air-soil-water ecosystems is caused by current tillage methods (Jahagir et al. 2020) Composting is a traditionally used process, that helps in soil conditioning and restoration of degraded land, though it has some shortcomings that have reduced its extensive usage and effciency.The shortcomings include pathogen detection, low nutrient status, long duration of composting, long mineralization (Ayilara et al 2020).Composting is a bio-conversion process which converts organic wastes such as manure, sludge, fruits, vegetables and other food wastes into an amorphous dark brown to black colloidal humus-like product under the optimal condition of temperature, moisture and aeration.The black colloidal product is known as compost which is widely used as a soil conditioner or organic fertilizer in agriculture (Lim et al. 2013).
With intention to reduce the amount of food waste present in the solid waste, Dr. Rosukon ( 2006) in Thailand invented a fermented broth produced from the kitchen waste such as vegetables, fruits or its peel with mixture of water and jaggery.The broth prepared is known as Eco-enzyme or garbage enzyme (Rasit et al. 2019).The broth contains natural proteins minerals salts, enzymes and resembles as vinegar like brown liquid (Neupane and Khadka 2019).Eco-enzyme is a kind of complex organic solution (Vama and Cherekar 2020.In the present study an attempt has been made to utilize the synthesized eco-enzyme in compost preparation and to observe its effect on the productivity of the plant species Cicer areitnium and to compare the growth with normal compost.

Preparation of Eco-enzyme
In the experimental setup, eco-enzyme was prepared by using peel and waste of orange, water and jaggery (jaggery) in a xed ratio of 3:10:1 respectively, to activate the microorganism to initiate the fermentation process.The mixture was prepared in a plastic container as it is expandable and the gases produced in the fermentation process are released daily into the atmosphere and resealed to maintain semi-anaerobic conditions.After 3 months of the fermentation process, the produced eco-enzymes were ltered and kept in a bottle container.The analysis of prepared eco-enzymes in terms of physico-chemical parameters including Temperature (°C), pH, Conductivity (µS/cm), TDS (mg/L), TSS (mg/L), TS (mg/L), COD (mg/L) was being carried out and is summarized in Table 2.The analysis of all the parameters were carried out as per the standard method being prescribe APHA 2002.
The physico chemical analysis of compost parameters has been carried out as per the standard method prescribed by Jackson 1958.The temperature was being monitored using standard thermometer while the moisture content of all the samples has been carried out by using gravimetric method.The pH of all the samples was determined using pH meter (EI-112).For determination of organic matter in the compost samples standard method prescribed by Walkley and Black, 1934 was being used, while Organic Nitrogen of all the samples was determined using Total Kjeldhal Nitrogen (TKN) method.The available and total phosphorous of the compost was being determined using the standard method prescribed by

Preparation And Analysis Of Compost
In present study the compost has been prepared using agriculture residue including rice husk (RH) and sawdust (SD).The cow dung was being added as innocula as seed to initiate the biodegradation process.In order to accelerate the biodegradation process effectively and e ciently the prepared eco-enzyme was added during the composting process in each batch with concentration variation of 10%, 15% and 20% (V/V) once every week.The details of all the possible combinations used in present study along with maturity period of the prepared compost is tabulated in Table 1.

Results And Discussion
The physicochemical characteristics of eco-enzyme has been carried out and the obtained results are summarized in Table 2.The observed pH value of 4.26 ± 0.18 indicates the eco-enzyme sample to be acidic side which may be due to the fact that the fruit waste composed of organic matter that turns into a volatile solid during the fermentation process along with the release of many organic acids making the broth acidic.The obtained pH value can be well compared with the study carried out by Javalkar et al. 2019, Rani et al 2019 observed eco-enzyme pH to be slightly more acidic i.e 3.However, the conductivity value of 1.49 ± 0.05 S/cm of the assessed samples indicating it to be higher side thus corresponds to the presence of large amount of inorganic salts and minerals in the broth.However, the TDS, TSS and TS concentration was found to be 6600, 9360 and 15,960 mg/L respectively.
The determined TSS and TDS values can be compared with similar investigations being carried out by Galintin et al. 2021.The COD concentration represents the amount of organic matter present in a sample.In present study the COD concentration of prepared co-enzyme has been found to be 4224 mg/L thus indicating large amount of organic content present in the waste used for the present study.Rasit and Kaun 2018, conducted a study and reported that kitchen waste particularly for orange peel eco-enzyme contains high amount of organic matter with a COD concentration as high as 96,000 mg/L.

COD (mg/L) 4224
The characteristics of compost prepared using different dilutions of eco-enzyme are compared and its effect on the physiology of plant species Phaseolus vulgaris has been studied (Table 3 and Table 4).Temperature is one of the most important parameter responsible for degradation of organic waste as high temperature eliminates the amount of pathogen in the composting pile.During the study period the maximum temperature ranged from 60-55°C, while later piles attained ambient temperature ranging from 26-29°C.The maximum rise in temperature has been observed in compost prepared using sawdust and rice husk with concentration of 10% eco-enzyme.
The moisture content of the prepared compost in all the assessed samples was found to be greater than 50%.However, the moisture content in control sample was found to be 40 ± 0.078%, while the compost prepared using rice husk with 10% of eco-enzyme was found to be having moisture content of 48.43 ± 0.60%.Also, rice husk has been used as a substrate in the composting process contains a very low moisture content and therefore, required regular addition of water during the composting process.pH is another important parameter that generally uctuates during the composting process.This may be due to the fact that due to biological activity and production of gasses the temperature rise and fall occurs throughout the composting process.However, the pH value of the nal prepared compost was found to be within neutral rage of 6.51 ± 0.03-7.88± 0.50 in all the samples.Electrical conductivity is such a parameters that indicates the presence of salts and minerals and high value indicates higher nutrition content in the compost.In the present study the maximum electrical conductivity value of 0.86 ± 0.02 Scm − 1 has been assessed in compost prepared from rice husk using 20% eco-enzyme.However, the conductivity value in control sample is found to be 0.11 ± 0.001 Scm − 1 .The decomposed organic matter plays a vital role in plant growth.In present study after composting process, the maximum organic matter was found in ricehusk compost with 10% eco-enzyme 28.37 ± 0.41%, while the minimum organic matter of 2.40 ± 0.15% was found in the control.Organic nitrogen is another important parameter required for the plant cells for their growth and reproduction.The maximum organic nitrogen concentration of 1.02 ± 0.04% has been observed in prepared sawdust compost with 10% eco-enzyme.The minimum organic nitrogen concentration of 0.28 ± 0.007% has been assessed in control.
The concentration of available phosphorous in all the variations of prepared compost is observed to be slightly lower and lies in the range of 0.002 ± 0.04 − 0.027 ± 0.12 mg/g.The concentration of total phosphorous in all the prepared composts ranged between 0.015 ± 0.01-0.076± 0.13 mg/g.C:N ratio is an important attribute in the composting process that enhances or retards the degradation process of an organic matter.In the present study C:N ratio in all the prepared compost samples ranged between 9-21, while the maximum C:N ratio of 21 has been observed in rice husk compost prepared by using with 10% ecoenzyme.The C:N ratio of 20, 14 and 13 has been observed with compost prepared using rice husk with eco-enzyme concentration of 0, 15 and 20% respectively.However, the C:N ratio of 15, 11 and 10 has been computed with compost prepared using sawdust with 10, 15 and 20% eco-enzyme with C:N ratio of 9 in the control.
Heavy metal analysis in the present study included total chromium all the values were under permissible limit, ranged 0.001-0.008mg/L.Nickel ranged 0.003-0.024mg/L while Copper was found very low in ricehusk with 10% eco-enzyme compost 0.001mg/L while sawdust compost without eco-enzyme exhibited 0.22mg/l as maximum copper.Zinc is one of the important micro element for the plant growth minimum 0.34 mg/L in ricehusk compost with 10% eco-enzyme while sawdust compost had a higher value of Zn with maximum 6.31 mg/L, Total cadmium and lead are toxic to the environment both the elements were found to be within the prescribed standards limits.Further, the prepared compost was being utilized as manure for the growth of plant species Phaseolus vulgaris.Physiological parameters of Phaseolus vulgaris could help to accomplish the nutrition value of the compost.The parameters required for enhancing the nutrition value of the compost are germination %, shoot length, root length and vigor index.Germination % helps to analyze the phytotoxic characteristics of compost as high phytotoxic value could retard the seedling emergence.In the present study all the prepared compost samples possess suitable germination %.It has been observed that both the compost produced using sawdust and ricehusk with 10% eco-enzyme possess 100% germination index.However, the compost manufactured using sawdust with15% and 20% eco-enzyme showed 96% germination index while the ricehusk compost with 20% eco-enzyme possess 93% germination index.The both the compost without ecoenzyme showed germination index of 90% for sawdust and 935 for ricehusk.The germination index of 10% eco-enzyme was found to be 96%, while the lowest germination index % of 87% was observed in the control.
The shoot length is another important parameter that helps to identify the growth prosperity of the plants.The maximum shoot length of 31.67 ± 1.63 cm was observed in the compost prepared using sawdust with 10% eco-enzyme, while the minimum shoot length of 24.60 ± 0.45 cm was assessed in the control.The root length of 5.57 ± 0.60 cm was observed to be maximum for compost manufactured using sawdust with 10% eco-enzyme, while the minimum root length of 3.53 ± 0.09 cm was found in control.
The vigor index is an important parameter that corresponds the speed of germination and also indicates the potential for rapid and uniform emergence of plants.In the present study, maximum vigor index of 587 cm has been assessed in the compost produced using sawdust with 10% eco-enzyme.However, the vigor index of 517 cm, 443 cm and 357 cm with compost prepared using rice husk with eco-enzyme of 10. 15 and 20% respectively.Also the vigor index value of 481 and 379 cm has been observed in the compost prepared using sawdust with eco-enzyme concentration of 15 and 20% respectively with a vigor index value of 328 cm in the control.The obtained result clearly indicates that the saw dust with 10% ecoenzyme provides best quality of compost possessing all the required parameters including C:N ratio, germination index, organic nitrogen content, decomposed organic matter content and vigor index at optimum values and concentrations.The substrate rice husk and sawdust had a very high content of lignin and cellulose leading to slow degradation.
The present study will be helpful for the policy makers in utilizing the agricultural wastes rich in lignin and get rid of such wastes as the farmers will be encouraged for composting process rather than burning it.This will be having two-fold advantage as the environment will get rid of such wastes and the same can be utilized as resource.Also, the produced compost possess better quality in terms of parameters such as pH, moisture content, decomposed organic matter, organic nitrogen, phosphorus, germination index, shoot length, root length and vigor index as compared to compost prepared conventionally.

Conclusion
In the present study, rice husk and saw dust wastes has been used as substrates for compost preparation while eco-enzyme prepared using municipal solid waste has been utilized as inocula for the composting process.The addition of eco-enzyme generally accelerates the biodegradation process of the waste as compared to conventional degradation processes.The compost prepared using sawdust attained maturity within 110 days of the entire duration while compost prepared using rice husk attained maturity in 120 days duration.The maximum C:N ratio of 18 was observed in rice husk compost prepared by using10% ecoenzyme.Further, the prepared compost was being utilized as manure for the growth of plant species Phaseolus vulgaris.The maximum shoot length of the plant species has been found to be 31.67± 1.63 cm using the compost prepared from sawdust with 10% eco-enzyme with a shoot length of 24.60 ± 0.45 cm assessed in the control without eco-enzyme.Also the maximum vigor index value of 481 and 379 cm has been observed in the compost prepared using sawdust with eco-enzyme concentration of 15 and 20% respectively with a vigor index value of 328 cm in the control without eco-enzyme.The produced compost possess better quality in terms of parameters such as decomposed pH, moisture content, organic matter, organic nitrogen, phosphorus, germination index, shoot length, root length and vigor index as compared to compost prepared conventionally.The present study will be helpful for the policy makers in utilizing the agricultural wastes rich in lignin and get rid of such wastes as the farmers will be encouraged for composting process rather than burning it.

Figure 1 Temperature variation during composting under different variations Figure 2
Figure 1 Temperature variation during composting under different variations

Figure 3 Variation 4
Figure 3 Variation in Organic Nitrogen, Total Potassium and Total Sodium values of the prepared compost under different eco-enzyme and substrate concentrations

Figure 5 Variation
Figure 5 Variation of Volatile solids and TOC in prepared compost under different substrate and eco-enzyme concentration

Figure 8 9
Figure 8 Shoot length and Root length under different concentration of organic amendments for plant species Phaselous vulgaris Jackson 1958.The Volatile Solids were determined by IS: 10158 (1982), further TOC was calculated according to the formula, %C = VS%/1.8(Sahaetal 2014).The Fertility index of the compost was analysed as calculated by However, the stability of compost was analyzed on the bases of germination percentage of Phaseolus vulgaris (Selim et al. 2012) and Vigor Index parameter was determined by using the method recommended by Baki and Anderson 1973.All the experimental study and analysis work has been carried out in environmental science laboratory, Department of Environmental Science, Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India.

Table 1
Raw material and maturation time of each compost using aerobic composting method

Table 3
Summary of compost characteristics prepared using different concentration of eco-enzyme

Table 4
Variation in plant growth parameters under different concentration of prepared eco-enzyme for plant species Phaseolus vulgaris