IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

Research article
erd

Preparation of Effective Microorganisms Based CompostUsing Some Selected Wastes for Improvement of Plants
Growth
THIDAR KAHING*
Department of Chemistry, Mandalay University, Myanmar
thidarkhaing7878@gmail.com

NYO NYO WIN
Department of Chemistry, Sagaing University, Myanmar

AYE MON THIDA NYO
Department of Chemistry, Mandalay Universtiy, Myanmar
Received 11 December 2020

Accepted 16 May 2021(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract Solid waste disposal is the most pressing problem facing mankind throughout theworld. The solid waste management plays a significant role to create a sustainable environment.
Some vegetable wastes such as rice husk, cotton husk, coconut husk, pigeon-pea husk andchicken manure were selected for chemical analysis. The effective microorganism (EM)solution was prepared from kitchen vegetable wastes except onion and garlic peels to ferment
for two months. The microorganisms that contain in prepared EM solution were studied byusing microscopic morphology. The pH of prepared EM solution was measured by using pH
meter. The compost was prepared from the vegetable waste materials and prepared EM solution
by using aerobic method. The yield percent of compost was determined by calculation method.
The yield percent of prepare compost was found to 55%. The mineral contents of compost andsoil sample were measured by using EDXRF spectroscopy. The physicochemical properties ofvegetable wastes, prepare compost and soil sample were determined. Planting the seedlings ofsome selected useful vegetables in various ratios of the prepare compost and soil sample. The
growth rates of plant rates were found to be effective by the planting experiment.
Keywords physicochemical properties, EM, compost, EDXRF, planting

INTRODUCTION
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed in a process called composting. This process
recycles various organic materials otherwise regarded as waste products and produces a soil
conditioner. Compost is rich in nutrients. Compost is decomposed organic material, such as leaves,grass clippings, and kitchen waste. There are two composting types in which the difference is by thenature of the decomposition process; namely as aerobic and anaerobic method. In aerobic compostingthat oxygen is present, mainly to break the organic matter in the waste into a stable end product such ascarbon dioxide, ammonia, water and heat. Anaerobic composting developed an intermediate
compound such as methane, organic acid and hydrogen sulphide (Sita et al., 2016).
Composting is a technique which can be used to reduce the amount of organic waste throughrecycling and the production of soil fertilizers and conditioners. Compost is primarily used as a soil
conditioner and not as much as a fertilizer because it contains a high organic content (90-95%) but
generally low concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium as well as macro and micro nutrientscompared to commercial fertilizers (Knight, 1997). Effective Microorganisms (EM) are mixed culturesⒸ ISERD

8

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1of beneficial naturally-occurring organisms that can be applied as inoculants to increase the microbial
diversity of soil ecosystem. They consist mainly of the photosynthesizing bacteria, lactic acid bacteria,yeasts, actinomycetes and fermenting fungi. There is evidence that EM inoculation to the soil canimprove the quality of soil, plant growth and yield (Kengo and Hui-lian, 2000).
The main objectives were to examine the properties of compost from the vegetable waste andinvestigate the effect on plant growth. The vegetable wastes are very effective in soil nutrient. The
principal goal of nature planting is to produce abundant and healthy crops without the use of chemicalfertilizers and pesticides and without causing adverse effects on the natural environment.
METHODOLOGY
Sample collection:
The degradable vegetable wastes such as rice husk, cotton husk, coconut husk and pigeon pea husk
were collected from Samar village, Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region. Chicken manure wascollected from Taungthamam village, Mandalay Region, Myanmar. Chicken manure was dried under
the sunlight. Soil sample was collected from Mandalay University Campus for planting. All selected
samples were ground with blender and used for throughout the experiment.
Determination of physicochemical properties of selected wastes:
Some physicochemical properties of selected vegetable wastes and chicken manure were determined(AOAC, 1990).
Preparation of effective microorganism solution:
The kitchen waste materials used for preparation of effective microorganism solution were collectedfrom the home kitchen. The mixture of vegetable wastes from home kitchen (10 kg) was made thesmall pieces and kept in 10 liters air tight container to ferment for two months. Effective
microorganism (EM) solution was prepared by using anaerobic digester method.
Isolation and microscopic morphology of prepare EM solution by using sub-micrometer:
Isolation of microorganism from prepared EM solutions was done at Department of Biotechnology,
Mandalay Technology University. The microscopic morphology of microorganism in prepare EMsolutions was also studied.
Determination of pH of EM solution:
The pH of EM solution was determined by pH meter (AOAC, 1990).
Preparation of compost by using aerobic digester method:
Compost was prepared by mixing of rice husk (0.25 kg), cotton husk (0.25 kg), coconut husk (0.25 kg),
pigeon-pea husk (0.25 kg), chicken manure (0.25 kg) and EM solution 10 liters in container by using
aerobic digester method.
Determination of yield percent of prepared compost:
The prepared compost was dried and the yield percent was determined based upon the total weight ofselected materials used.
Determination of mineral contents of compost and planting soil:
The mineral contents of prepared compost and planting soil were measured at department of Chemistry,
University of Monywa, by applying EDXRF (Energy Dispersive-X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy).
Determination of pH of prepare compost and planting soil:
The pH of sample was determined by pH meter (AOAC, 1990).
Determination of moisture content of compost and planting soil:
The moisture content was measured by oven dry method (AOAC, 1990).
Ⓒ ISERD

9IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

Determination of ash content of prepare compost and planting soil:
The ash content was measured by oven drying method (AOAC, 1990).
Determination of organic matter:
The sample is ash at 500-600°C by placing a suitable weight (0.5-1.0g) of the sample in a silica
crucible and heating it in a muffle furnace for 4-6 h. Loss of weight on ignition can be used as a direct
measure of the Organic Matter (MO) (AOAC, 1990).
Estimation of available nitrogen by using alkaline permanganate method:
The amount of nitrogen released by alkaline permanganate solution was estimated by distillation
procedure. The distillate was collected in known amount of standard acid and the excess acid wastitrated against standard alkali solution by using methyl red as an indicator. The nitrogen so estimatedis designated as available nitrogen (Subbiah and Asija, 1956).
Determination of available phosphorus by using Olsen’s method:
2.5 g of sample was taken in a conical flask and 1.0 g of carbon black was added. 50 mL of 0.5 M
NaHCO3 solution was added to the flask and shaken for half an hour. It was filtered through the filter
paper. 5 mL of filtrate was pipette out into a 25 mL volumetric flask. 5 mL of molybdate reagent wasadded and washed down the steam of the flask and mixed. 1 mL of dilute stannous chloride solution
was added and made up to 25 mL with distilled water. The contents were mixed thoroughly. After ten
minutes the color intensity was read in the spectrophotometer by using read filter (or 700 nm). Thevalue (mg of phosphorus) was read from the standard curve (Olsen et al., 1954).
Determination of potassium by using atomic absorption spectroscopic method:
The potassium content of prepare compost and planting soil were determined by Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometer at Department of Agriculture (Fishman and Downs 1966).
Planting:
The roselle, nannan, pumpkin, lady’s finger, cow pea and mustard were seedlings in pots. After 20thdays, all the seedlings of the same size were selected and planted in planting experiment. The threeplant-based filter were used in the different ratio of compost and soil sample. In the first plant-based
filter, no fertilizer was used. In the second plant-based filter, 1:10 of prepare compost and soil sample
were mixed. In the third plant-based filter, 1: 5 prepare compost and soil sample were mixed. All plantbased filter was regularly watered. The duration from the time of selected plants to the end of the study
period was 60 days. The growth rate of the plants was measured from selected plants from each plantbased filter and average values were recorded. The plant growth was measured at every ten days during
this research work.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Results of Physicochemical Properties of Vegetable Wastes
The results of physicochemical properties of vegetable wastes are shown in Table 1. According toTable 1, the pH values of samples were lie between 6 and 8. It values showed the slightly alkalinecondition. The organic matter content of cotton husk was found to be higher than the other samples.
Thus, all selected samples contain suitable inorganic matter such as N, P and K contents found to besuitable amount respectively (Dharmakeerthi et al., 2007).
Isolation of Microorganism and Bacterial Identification from Prepare EM Solution
The results of isolation of microorganism and bacterial identification from prepare EM Solution weredescribe in Table 2.
Ⓒ ISERD

10IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

Table 1 Physicochemical properties of vegetable wastes
Sampledescription

UnitpHMoisture
Organic Matter
Available N
Available P
Available K%%%%%

Chickenmanure
7.12
21.60
41.02
2.66
0.52
1.12

Rice husk
7.43
12.93
79.36
0.41
0.02
0.93

Coconut
hush
7.62
8.45
88.12
0.31
0.01
0.16

Cotton
husk
6.62
6.24
89.97
3.36
0.48
0.51

Pigeon pea
husk
7.21
10.18
20.50
2.15
0.28
1.25

Table 2 Cultural and microscopic morphology of isolated bacteria
Colony morphology

Samplename

Size(mm)

EM1

1

EM2

3- 4

EM33- 4EM44-6

ColorMicroscopic morphology

Elevation

Shape

Size (um)Gram’reaction

Shaperaisedround

1-2 × 2-4+

Small Rodflat

Irregular

1-2 × 2-4+

Rod (spore)raisedIrregular

2-3 × 3-4+

Rod (spore)raisedround

2-3 × 3-4+

Rod (spore)

Yellow(opque)
White(opque)
White(opque)
White(opque)

According to cultural and microscopic morphology, four bacterial strains were observed in liquidof EM solutions with different conditions. Four bacterial strains (EM 1, EM 2, EM 3, EM 4) fromprepare EM samples were isolated on Nutrient media. According to the cultural and microscopic
morphology, EM 1 predicted that positive gram stain bacterial from the family of Pseudomonadaceae,
and EM 2, 3 and 4 could be assumed that positive gram stain bacterial from the family of Bacillaceae(Khan et al., 2018).
The pH of Prepare Effective Microorganism Solution
The pH value of prepared effective microorganism solution was found to be 4.29. The value is towards
slightly acidic and to neutralized selected vegetable wastes (Khan et al., 2018).
The Yield Percent of Prepared CompostThe yield percent of prepare compost was found to be 55%.
Table 3 Relative abundance (%) of elemental composition of prepared compost and planting soil
Element
SiliconCalcium
IronPotassium
SulfurTitanium

SymbolSiCaFeKS
Ti

Prepare compost (%)
40.41326.922
5.143
22.5962.997
0.933

Mineral Content of Prepared Compost and Planting Soil
Ⓒ ISERD

11Planting soil (%)
56.573
4.410
11.110
5.546
2.225
1.127

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

The relative abundance (%) of elemental composition of prepared compost and soil were shown in
Table 3. The elemental analysis indicated that the amount of silicon was highest value in preparecompost and planting soil. The calcium content in prepare compost was higher than planting soil. The
sulphur content of prepare composed and planting soil was nearly equal. The other mineral contents
were found to be small amount in prepare compost and planting soil (Pravina et al., 2013).
Results of Physicochemical Properties of Prepared Compost and Planting Soil
The results of physicochemical properties of prepared compost and planting soil were showed in Table
4. The pH value of prepare compost and planting soil was nearly equal and the ash content of preparecompost was higher than planting soil. The moisture content of planting soil was decreased compare tothe prepare compost (Clark et al., 1998).
Table 4 pH, moisture and ash value of prepared compost and planting soil
SamplepHMoisture (%)

Ash (%)

Planting soil

8.81

2.24

10

Prepared compost

8.76

12.19

45

The available nitrogen value of prepared compost and planting soil were described in Table 5.
According to the results from the determination of available nitrogen content of prepare compost was
higher than planting soil. The phosphorus and potassium contents in prepare compost were higher thanplanting soil (Clark et al., 1998).
Table 5 Available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium valueof prepared compost and planting soil
Chemical properties
Available Nitrogen
Available Phosphorus
Available Potassium

Prepared compost(% by dry mass)
2.08
1.32
1.02

Planting soil(% by dry mass)
0.12
0.46
0.44

Planting
Duration from the time of roselle, nannan, pumpkin, lady’s finger, cow pea and mustard were to theend of the study period was 60 days. The plants growth was measured at every 10 days during thisresearch work and average values were record.
Table 6 The growth rate of Roselle

Table 7 The growth rate of NannanⒸ ISERD

12

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

Table 8 The growth rate of Pumpkin

Table 9 The growth rate of Lady's finger

Table 10 The growth rate of Mustard

Table 11 The growth rate of Cow pea

In this planting experiment contains three conditions. The first condition is blank, the second
condition is 1:10 ratio and the third condition is 1:5 ratio of prepare compost and planting soil.
According to these results, the third condition was found in the best growth rates of planting because
its uses the most amount in prepare compost.
CONCLUSION
This experiment was done in an effort to solid wastes management by investigating homemadecomposting with effective microorganism solution. From this analysis, vegetable waste materials wereused in evaluation provided a better environment for EM to grow produce quality compost. The
degradable vegetable wastes, cow dung and EM play a significant role in stabilizing the mixture andaccelerate the composting process. The pH value of EM was found to be 4.29 and it is slightly acidic
condition. According to microorganism morphology, four types of bacterial strains were observed inEM solution. All are gram positive bacteria. The observed bacteria are degraded the vegetable wastematerials and creates the suitable environment conditions for decomposition of organic materials used.
The elemental analysis indicated that silicon was found to be the highest amount in prepared compostand planting soil. Since silicon generates the resistance in many plants to disease and pests, it may
contribute to reduce the rate of application of pesticides and fungicides. The physicochemical
properties of vegetable wastes and prepare compost were lie within the limiting range and it is suitablefor planting. The selected useful vegetables were treated with different ratio of prepared compost andplanting soil. The highest amount of prepare compost used in planting is most growth rates in all
selected plants. Thus, the prepared compost was low cost, easily available and supporting theimprovement of growth rates of plants. According to the results of experimental work, compost fromkitchen waste product could be employed as an alternative, eco-friendly and low cost for supporting ofplants growing.

Ⓒ ISERD

13IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

REFERENCES
AOAC. 1990. Official methods of analysis (15th ed.). Association of Official Analytical Chemistry, 200-210,
Washington DC., USA.
Clark, M.S., Horwath, W.R., Shennan, C. and Scow, K.M. 1998. Changes in soil chemical properties resulting
from organic and low-input farming practices. Agronomy Journal, 90 (5), 662-671.
Dharmakeerthi, R.S., Indraratne, S.P. and Kumaragamage, D. 2007. Manual of soil sampling and analysis (1sted.). Araliya Printers, Kurunegala, 3-79.
Fishman, M.J. and Downs, S.C. 1966. Method for analysis of selected metals in water by atomic absorption. U.S.
Geological Survey, Water-Supply Paper, 1540-C, 36-8.
Kengo, Y. and Hui-lian, X. 2000. Properties and applications of an organic fertilizer inoculated with effective
microorganisms. Journal of Crop production, 3 (1), 255-268.
Khan, I., Sajjad, W., Zada, S., Rafiq, M., Ali, B., Jamil, S.U.U., Shah, A.A. and Hasan, F. 2018. Morphological,biochemical and molecular characterization of culturable epilithic and endolithic bacteria from rocks ofAyubia (Murree), lower Himalaya, Pakistan. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 16 (1), 563-577.
Knight, W. 1997. Compost convective airflow, N and C conservation with passive and active aeration. M. Sc.
Thesis, Agric. and Biosystems Eng. McGill University, Canada.
Olsen, S., Cole, C.V., Watanable, F.S. and Dean, L.A. 1954. Estimation of available phosphorus in soil byextraction with sodium bicarbonate. USDA Circular, USA.
Pravina, P., Sayaji, D. and Avinash, M. 2013. Calcium and its role in human body. Int. J. Res. Pharm. Biomed.
Sci., 4 (2), 659-668.
Sita, A., Muttalib, A., Sharifah, N.S.I. and Sarva, M.P. 2016. Application of effective microorganism in foodwaste composting, A review. Asia Pacific Enviromantal and Occupational Health Journal, 2 (2), 37-47.
Subbiah, B.V. and Asija, G.I. 1956. Rapid procedure for the determination of available nitrogen in soil. Curr Sci.,
25, 260.

Ⓒ ISERD

14