Different Treatments of Quail (Coturnix coturnix) based Manure Compost

Agriculture has been performed for thousands of years without the use of synthetic chemicals. Chemical fertilizers have recently been used more frequently in soil management strategies to boost crop yields by enhancing nitrogen availability. The use of these agrochemicals not only degrades cultivable land but also leads to agricultural pollution. Sustainable organic fertilizer is the ideal solution to this problem because it uses only natural resources such as organic materials, plant and animal wastes, and microorganisms (Ahmad et al., 2007). Organic matter boosts the soil'scation exchange capacity. Aside from the ability to give nutrients, organic fertilizers can also alter the physical, chemical, and biological qualities of the soil, which can considerably increase plant growth and development (Gonzales et al., 2015).

The growing interest inorganic farming has been increasing in recent years as mandated by the Philippine Organic Agriculture Act of RA 10068. The term "organic agriculture" (OA) refers to all agricultural practices that support the production of food and fibers in a way that is environmentally friendly, commercially viable, socially acceptable, and technically feasible. Instead of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, it drastically reduces external inputs. It is interesting to note that a potential bulking agent, which is a major raw material for organic fertilizer production, is abundantly available in Nueva Ecija. This is made possible due to the existence of two Rice Hull Fired Power Plants that can generate electricity. The by-product of burning rice hull is “Fly Ash” which is now becoming popularly known as a valuable and effective bulking agent of animal manure for the production of organic fertilizer.

Due to expanding population and environmental issues have arisen in quail production. The environmental impact of poultry production has received increasing attention over the last several decades. The production of poultry adversely affects the environment in several ways, including improper disposal of their manure. As a result, intensive poultry production is considered to be associated with greenhouse gas emissions, humidification, and eutrophication (Rodic et al., 2011). To solve the waste problem, an environmentally friendly alternative such as the conversion of animal manure to organic fertilizer should be popularized.

Furthermore, to maximize the usefulness of quail manure properly, its major nutrient contents should be enhanced for the crop’sneeds, hence, it should be processed as an organic fertilizer material to supply the desired optimum nutrient requirement (Mendes et al., 2013). 1.1 Environmental Issues in Quail Production: Poultry facilities release odors and attract flies, rodents, and other pests that cause nuisances and spread disease. Odor emissions from poultry farms, caused by a variety of contributing compounds such as ammonia (NH3), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S),have a negative impact on the lives of those who live nearby (Maheshwari, 2013). Poultry production such as quail farming has created significant pollution worldwide and has been a long-standing issue. Poultry wastes are credited with causing this environmental problem. As the world'spopulation continues to grow, as well as the production of animal products, along with the collection of waste organic matter, particularly quail manure. Keeping them causes a lot of issues improper waste disposal may cause, polluting soil, surface water, and groundwater, and releasing toxic gasses and odors are all examples (Atiyeh et al., 2000; Nunez-Delgado et al., 2002; El-Mashad, 2003). There is a major environmental impact created by the daily output of a large amount of quail farm droppings. This is one of the greatest consequences of illegal droppings storage areas, which pollute the soil, the water supply, and wildlife in general. Groundwater surrounding poultry farm areas contains pollutants that not only cause a sharp odor but also contribute to the development of emission of greenhouse gasses (Antonov et al., 2021). 1.2 Nutrient Content of Quail Manure: Manure from poultry contains all 13 of the essential plant nutrients that plants are needed to survive and grow (Chastain et al., 2001). Manure from poultry, such as quail manure, is considered to be a superior organic fertilizer. Manure includes nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and other nutrients, which makes it an excellent source for improving soil productivity (Bandyopadhyay et al., 2009). Poultry dung, in particular, provides nitrogenous nutrients, which include both chicken and quail. Rizk et al. (2007) discovered increased nitrogen levels in quail dung, which provides an immediate and accessible source of nitrogen for plants. 1.3 Bulking Agents: A bulking agent in composting has avery important role in controlling the problems associated with the moisture content in composting. Not only that, but bulking agents also determine how to control odor issues by maintaining the moisture in the composting process for a successful composting procedure (Gupta et al., 2013). Wood chips, sawdust, grass hay, rice husks, corn stalks, grass clippings, animal manure, fruit and vegetable waste, garden trimmings, deciduous leaves, and other bulking agents are used in composting. These bulking agents are used in the composting process based on the compost'sneeds, such as nutrient content, moisture, pH, and air supply to compost material. Different bulking agents are used in various composting processes such as food waste composting, vermicomposting, industrial waste composting, agricultural waste composting, and weed composting (Bernal et al., 2009). A study found that bulking agents such as rice husk, sawdust, and Fly Ash increased degradation and produced compost. There are plenty of macronutrients and micronutrients in Fly Ash that are readily available to plants and may improve the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Fly Ashcan enhance plant biomass production from degraded soils when combined with organic manure (Jala et al., 2006). Fly Ashcan be considered an eco-friendly and economical fertilizer. It'sgood for soil health and crop performance, so has lots of potential for crop yield and Fly Ash contains high concentrations of K, Na, Zn, Ca, Mg, and Fe (Basu et al., 2009). Furthermore, the construction of a Rice hull gasifier plant (GIFTC) in Talavera Nueva Ecija, Philippines can produce electricity (12mw per hour) and Fly Ash (60 tons per day).Fly Ash is produced when a rice hull is burned in the gasifier plant. 1.4 Qualities of a Good Compost: Composting is a sustainable method of disposing of manure. It undergoes aerobic, biological processes, with the help of natural microorganisms, and produces organic matter, which is degraded into a humus-like product or the organic fertilizer that is healthy, stable, and free of pathogenic microorganisms and weed seeds (Haug, 2018). The composting process involves chemical and physical changes: volume tends to decrease, due to the loss of water and the increase in dry matter. By decomposition of organic, the loss of organic carbon occurs in the form of CO2, and the content of ash increases. The C/N ratio becomes narrower, and the content of primary and secondary nutrients (P, K, Ca, Mg) increases (Tiquia & Tam, 2002; Michel et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2004; Zhu, 2006). Varying manure types in terms of pH and conductivity values can influence plant growth.

Several factors, including substrate complexity and the number of enzymes involved, prevent cellulose degradation (Kim et al. 2005). Due to the wide variability in the many parameters involved in maintaining compost quality, this process necessarily requires a complex and comprehensive investigation.

Compost microorganisms thrive in neutral to acidic conditions with a pH between 5.5 and 8. Organic acids are formed during the early stages of degradation (Mao et al., 2017). The importance of determining the pH of compost depends on the plants it will be used on. Most plants thrive in soil with a neutral pH, and the pH changes in manure during the composting phase implied the occurrence of physical, chemical, or biological events during incubation. According to Kim et al. (2007), the temperature ranges of 57 to 71 degrees Celsius are frequently where thermophilic organisms actively decompose. The temperature of a composting process indicates the amount of activity that microorganisms are engaging in as they transform biodegradable organic matter into compost. It is one of the indicators used to determine how well the composting process works. Physical and chemical factors such as pH, temperature, and moisture content can all have an impact on bacterial communities and metabolism when composting. The relationship between these physiochemical characteristics may influence the compost'squality (Yang et al., 2020).

Seed vigor is the sum of seed germination and emergence rates, as well as production potential, and is an indicator of plant growth. In the field, seed quality and seed emergence are important indicators (Jia et al., 2020). High germination and vitality indexes are important characteristics of high-viability seeds. According to Kim et al (2005), to see how Synechocystis sp., KACC91007 affects the germination index of 1 Chinese cabbage when added to pig slurry or pig liquid fertilizer (PLF). The preliminary experiment included screening inoculant levels of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3%, respectively. The 0.05% inoculant concentration was chosen due to its low phytotoxicity and high Germination Index. The Germination Index value of untreated PLF under aerobic and anoxic processing conditions was 83 and 40.4%, respectively. When PLF was processed under anoxic and aerobic conditions, the germination index improved by more than 40 and 50%, respectively, with the addition of a 0.05% microbial inoculant. As a result of the addition of 0.05% microbial inoculant, the GI of Chinese cabbage increased, particularly under aerobic processing conditions. 1.5 Advances in Composting Technology: Recent compost additive in the market contains 18 bacteria and 7 fungi. It is a biotech product that has been scientifically blended and contains nutritionally balanced food preparation microorganisms. It also contains balanced amounts of chelated trace minerals and micronutrients, enzymes, photo-vitamins, growth-promoting substances, amino acids, and organic acids, as well as functional compounds such as surfactants, emulsifiers, stabilizing agents, and antioxidants that are essential to enhancing and accelerating the production of organic fertilizer of the highest quality. It is also very effective at removing odors from all types of animal wastes, as well as reducing flies in poultry, pig, and livestock farms (ELR Family Trading Co., Inc. 2019). 1.6 Features of Rapid Composting Microbes: Using rapid composting technology, substrates are inoculated with sterilized Trichoderma harziamum, a cellulose composer fungus (Cuevas, V.C. 1999). T. harziamum plays critical roles in biological decomposition and is also known as the producer of cellulose enzymes for nitrocellulose biomass bio-degradation and bio-control agents (Naher et al., 2014). Since the Trichoderma species has a well-known biological control mechanism, it has been widely used in agricultural applications based on the findings of global researchers, the evidence of the Trichoderma species has for dealing with plant diseases, plant growth, decomposition, and bio-remediation (Zin et al., 2020). Furthermore, the interaction between the plant and Trichoderma species successfully regulates root development, increasing the length of lateral and primary roots, and resulting in increased nutrient uptake efficiency by the plant (Zin et al., 2020).

In addition, According to Banayo et al., (2012), Bio-N is a "breakthrough technology" made up primarily of microorganisms that can convert nitrogen gas into an available form to reach the nitrogen requirements of host plants. 1.7 Quail Manure Benefits: Quail manure similar to other poultry manure has an impact on the soil, and the plant'scapacity to absorb nutrients. They both contain a wide range of nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Hence, quail and poultry manure are useful in ensuring the bio-availability of their nutrients to plants (Pinheiro et al., 2014). According to Gonzales, et al. (2015), the use of quail and poultry manure is very important for soil pH regulation, which ensures that phosphorus is available toplants. Quail manure consists of droppings, feathers, spilled feed, and bedding materials. One quail poultry farm typically has 10,000 on average population. Quail eats 30 grams of feed per day, and produces 18 grams of manure waste, with a daily output of 60% droppings (Antonov et al., 2021). It'shigh inorganic matter and nutrient content, which promotes good soil texture, so it'sgreat for agricultural soils where crops are grown (Schröder, 2005). Furthermore, quail manure should be preferred over other organic manures because it is rich inessential nutrients (Li et al., 2015). The use of Quail manure enhances pechay growth, development, yield, and quality (Aisha et al., 2007). Due to its lightweight and rich nutrients, it is extremely transportable (Li et al., 2011). By using it over time, nutrients will beheld in the soil for a longer period, thus reducing the need for inorganic fertilizer. 1.8 Significance of Agricultural Waste Management: In recent years, the management of agricultural waste has become increasingly significant due to the negative impact of inappropriate disposal. It has been proven that the process of agricultural waste recycling and recovery that turns waste into usable resources can reduce the quantity of waste and new resources utilized (Chang et al., 2019). To make good economic and environmental sense, managing agricultural waste is essential. Agricultural waste management strategies can help farmers understand how to recycle and reuse animal waste to make them more productive in their crops (Sudha et al., 2006). According to Ayilara et al. (2020), the importance of composting will result in a reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers in favor of compost. By reducing the number of toxic chemicals released into the environment, this shift will invariably benefit both the environment and human health. In its current state, much more education about the potential of this technology is required before it can be fully adopted by farmers. Regarding improvement technologies, some recommendations are made hereto aid in their advancement. Furthermore, animal manure is an environmentally friendly way to enrich the soil with nutrients (Eghball et al., 2002). Aside from the ability to give nutrients, organic fertilizers can also alter the physical, chemical, and biological qualities of the soil, which can considerably increase plant growth and development.