PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FERMENTED BOKASHI COMPOST PRODUCED ON FARM IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Bokashi is fermented organic compost capable of improving the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the soils. The compost action in the agricultural production system is influenced by its preparation, resulting in products with different physicochemical characteristics. The study aimed to characterize bokashi produced on-farm and compare it with commercial products. The produced composts in southern Brazil were obtained through efficient microorganisms (EM), collected in an area of permanent preservation, and kefir. Two commercial composts were used for comparison (Plantae FertTM and Bokashi Sementes BrasilTM). Physical characteristics related to apparent specific gravity, water content, and water retention capacity and chemical characteristics related to nutrient contents, pH, and electrical conductivity were analyzed. For the physical characteristics, the mean and standard deviation were determined. The data from chemical parameters were submitted to the analysis of variance, and the means were compared by the Tukey test with 5% significance. Bokashi produced on-farm and commercial Bokashi showed similar physical characteristics. Commercial bokashi composts showed higher contents of nutrients than the composts produced on-farm. The analyzed composts showed adequate physicochemical parameters, with no factors limiting their use in agriculture.