Comparative Quality of Cow Manure based Compost with or without Fermentation Additive and its Effect on the Germination of Pechay

In the Philippines, farming is one of the main sources of income. Many farmers have found cows to be helpful in their agricultural endeavors. Cattle farming is commonly carried out in backyards or on commercial farms. Besides the meat and milk products that can be derived from rearing cows, this livestock animal can also be utilized for early grazing to control unnecessary weeds in the farm surroundings. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority Cattle Situation Report, as of March 31, 2023, the total cattle inventory reached 2.57 million heads. 3.6% of the total cattle population comes from commercial, 14.3% from semi-commercial, and 82.1% from smallholdings.

Environmental concerns relating to cattle in livestock production are taken for granted as this industry in the Philippines continues to grow. In fact, due to the methane and nitrous oxide emitted during digestion and excrement, cattle are said to be the major contributor to environmental degradation among livestock, with an emphasis on greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, considering these environmental concerns, raisers should adopt a more consumer-friendly production strategy. In recent years, organic farming has been gaining rapid popularity. This was made possible because of the government'songoing support to the Organic Agriculture Act (RA 10068). There have been several technological interventions for waste utilization as a resource. Examples include research-based innovative strategies in animal feeding and nutrition; alternative approaches in cattle production; and an environmentally friendly waste management system.

Research and several studies have been conducted to improve agricultural practices by effectively using byproducts. Cow manure and other farm wastes, such as fly ash, rice straw, sawdust, and coco husk, are being utilized in a composting method to produce organic fertilizer that can be used to grow healthy plants, negating the need for synthetic chemical fertilizers. According to Zainudin et al. (2022), utilizing compost additives such as odor erasing and composting microbes (OECM) is one of the most efficient and suitable methods to accelerate the decomposition process when creating compost. OECM contains combinations of bacteria and fungi that work together to speedup the composting process. Composting is referred to as "natural recycling." Invertebrates eat carcasses after they have been broken down by microbes. The "compost" or nutrients formed are added back to the soil to help plants thrive. Compost improves the soil'swater-holding capacity and overall quality. Composting could therefore contribute to abetter environment for both people and other living organisms.

Composting is done allover the world. However, due to the time required for the mixture of byproducts to degrade, it is not a quick process. Composting can take up to two years, but by manually stirring the compost, it can be completed in two to six months. As science and technology advances, it opens the door for many scientists to develop a product that may help accelerate the process of decomposition. Recently, there has been a composting product on the market that can convert livestock manure into organic fertilizer in 14 days, and this investigation was done to confirm it.