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Microbial Bioconversion of Agricultural Wastes for Rural Sanitation and Soil Carbon Enrichment

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Microbial Interventions in Agriculture and Environment

Abstract

Managing agricultural wastes and plant residues and returning them to agricultural and horticultural land are one of the most important ways of improving the fertility of the soil for sustainable agriculture. In fact, organic matter is known as a fertility pillar due to its constructive effects on physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. The production of compost from agricultural and industrial wastes, while reducing the risks of water and soil pollution caused by using these materials in the environment, can also reduce input costs for farmers. In the production of compost, many parameters determine the mode and duration of composting. In the present chapter, compost production process, factors affecting composting process, organic matter compounds in organic wastes, organic wastes decomposers, value of microbial inoculation for organic waste decomposition, suitable microorganisms for organic waste decomposition, and finally quality criteria of produced compost for use in agriculture are reviewed and discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank University of Tehran for providing the necessary facilities for doing this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Hassan Etesami & Hossein Ali Alikhani

  2. Department of Soil Science, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

    Arash Hemati

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  1. Hassan Etesami
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  2. Arash Hemati
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  3. Hossein Ali Alikhani
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Correspondence to Hassan Etesami .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Maunath Bhanjan, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Dhananjaya Pratap Singh

  2. Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia

    Vijai Kumar Gupta

  3. ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Maunath Bhanjan, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ratna Prabha

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Etesami, H., Hemati, A., Alikhani, H.A. (2019). Microbial Bioconversion of Agricultural Wastes for Rural Sanitation and Soil Carbon Enrichment. In: Singh, D., Gupta, V., Prabha, R. (eds) Microbial Interventions in Agriculture and Environment. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8383-0_6

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