RECYCLING OF CHICKEN FEATHER PROTEIN INTO COMPOST BY Chrysosporium indicum JK14 AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE GROWTH PROMOTION OF Zea mays
JITENDRA KUMAR *
Department of Botany, Dolphin (PG) College of Science and Agriculture, Chunni Kalan, Fatehgarh Sahib, 140307, Punjab, India.
PANKAJ KUMAR
Department of Microbiology, Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences, Manduwala, Dehradun, 248007, Uttrakhand, India.
R. K. S. KUSHWAHA
Department of Botany, Christ Church College, Kanpur, 208001, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Chrysosporium indicum JK14 was used in the recycling of feather waste into compost. The combination of poultry feathers and sterilized soil was inoculated with fungus C. indicum JK14 in different proportions and kept for degradation. C. indicum JK14 supported better degradation of feathers in soil and enhanced nutritional value. A pot experiment with this compost showed that the plant length of Zea mays was significantly increased by 34.26%, and plant fresh weight was enhanced by 56.52% as compared to control (Only soil no feathers) due to micronutrient released by fungal degradation of feather waste. This approach of feather waste application will not only helpful in eco-friendly growth promotion of various crops but also helpful in controlling environmental pollution that occurs due to the production of tones of feather waste daily globally.
Keywords: Keratinophilic fungi, keratinase, feather compost, plant growth.