The use of cellulolytic <i>Aspergillus</i> sp. inoculum to improve the quality of Pineapple compost

Abstract

<abstract> <p>Pineapple litter has a complex polymer of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which makes them difficult to decompose. However, pineapple litter has great potential to be a good organic material source for the soil when completely decomposed. The addition of inoculants can facilitate the composting process. This study investigated whether the addition of cellulolytic fungi inoculants to pineapple litters improves the efficiency of the composting processes. The treatments were KP1 = pineapple leaf litter: cow manure (2:1), KP2 = pineapple stem litter: cow manure (2:1), KP3 = pineapple leaf litter: pineapple stem litter: cow manure P1 (leaf litter and 1% inoculum), P2 (stem litter and 1% inoculum), and P3 (leaf + stem litters and 1% inoculum). The result showed that the number of <italic>Aspergillus</italic> sp. spores on corn media was 5.64 x 10⁷ spores/mL, with viability of 98.58%. <italic>Aspergillus</italic> sp. inoculum improved the quality of pineapple litter compost, based on the enhanced contents of C, N, P, K, and the C/N ratio, during the seven weeks of composting. Moreover, the best treatment observed in this study was P1. The C/N ratios of compost at P1, P2, and P3 were within the recommended range of organic fertilizer which was 15–25%, with a Carbon/Nitrogen proportion of 11.3%, 11.8%, and 12.4% (P1, P2, and P3), respectively.</p> </abstract>