ORGANIC

FERTILIZER
 ORGANIC FERTILIZER

1. Types and composition of organic

materials
2. Composting
3. Effects of organic materials on soil
properties
 SOIL ORGANIC MATTER
Composition of Plant Residues
Water – 75%
Dry matter – 25%
C, H, O – 90-95% of dry matter
Other elements – 5-10% of dry matter
Organic compounds:
Cellulose - 45%
Hemicellulose - 18%
Lignin - 20%
Sugar and starch - 5%
 Fats and waxes - 2%
Polyphenols - 2%
Decomposability:

1.Sugars, starch, simple proteins (most easily

decomposed)
2.Crude proteins
3.Hemicellulose
4.Cellulose
5.Fats and waxes
6.Lignins and phenolic compounds (most
difficult to decompose)
Crude Protein
• Is a chemical analysis of the forage that calculates the
amount of nitrogen, which is the building block for amino
acids that form proteins.

• This is then used to estimate the amount of true protein and

non-protein nitrogen.
Crude Protein
Can have protein from anything that has nitrogen in it – this
includes:

1. meat

2. plant material

3. feathers

4. beaks

5. even old boot leather etc.

Function of the Hemicellulose

• The most important biological role of hemicelluloses is their

contribution to strengthening the cell wall by interaction
with cellulose and, in some walls, with lignin.
Cellulose

• Is a molecule, consisting of hundreds

– and sometimes even thousands –
of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
atoms.
Fats And Waxes

• The Oils, fats and waxes are assembled from fatty acid chains
combined with a 3-carbon glycerol molecule.

• Oils, fats and waxes are used in biological systems primarily for
energy storage (fats, oils) or for protection (waxes).

• Fats and waxes are solid at room temperature while oils are
liquid.
Natural oils, fats and waxes are primarily obtained
from either :

1.plant or animal sources

2. including sunflower

3.oilseed rape

4. oil palm

5. beef tallow

6. lanolin and beeswax

 Beef Tallow

• Tallow is rendered beef fat, and

much like pork lard, leaf tallow is
made from the fat that surrounds
the kidneys.

• Grass-fed beef tallow is prized for

its mild beefy flavor and the many
uses both in and outside of the
kitchen.

• We render grass fed beef tallow

from our 100% grass fed, grass
finished Hawaii Island beef.
Lanolin

• Is the wool grease secreted A

by the sheep sebaceous
glands, and represents a
complex mixture of high
molecular mass lipids,
including fatty acids and
alcohols, sterols, B
hydroxyacids, diols, and
aliphatic and steryl esters.

• Lanolin is widely used in

cosmetic and pharmaceutical C

formulations.
Lignin

• Can be generally divided into three types according

to the different plant species:

1. softwood,
2. hardwood
3. and grass lignin.
Lignin-derived phenolic compounds

• Are universal in the hydrolysate of

pretreated lignocellulosic biomass.

• The phenolics reduce the efficiency

of enzymatic hydrolysis and increase the
cost of ethanol production.

Biomass

• Is renewable organic material that comes from

plants and animals.
Rice straw is one of the most abundant crop residues
in the country and is usually used with animal manure
in compost making.
Corn stover can be composted but needs to be
chopped further for faster decomposition.
Ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) leaves with their high
nitrogen content can also be used as green manure.
Kakawate (Glyricidia sepium) leaves have more than 4%
nitrogen content and can be applied to the soil directly as
N fertilizer.
CONCENTRATION OF NUTRIENTS IN
RICE HULLS

NUTRIENTS %
N 0.50
P2O5 0.37
K2O 0.84
CaO 0.11
MgO 0.11
MnO2 0.012
Fe2O2 0.02
SiO2 14.50
 About 50% of urban trashes are biodegradable organic
materials which can be processed into bio-organic fertilizers.
 Composting and Treatment Procedures for
Organic Wastes
Objectives of Composting
Composting is the process of allowing
organic materials to decompose under more or
less controlled conditions to produce an end
product that can be used as a fertilizer and/or
soil conditioner. It is a process by which
undesirable properties of organic wastes such a
foul odor, presence of pathogens, and other
undesirable physical properties are removed or
abated.
TRADITIONAL COMPOSTING METHOD
 Soil Organic Matter
Aerobic Decomposition
General Reaction:
Enzymatic
oxidation
R – (C, 4H) + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O + energy (478 kJ/mol C)
C and H
continuing
compounds

Proteins CO2 + H2O + energy + glycine, cysteine +

NH4+ + NO3- + SO42-

Lignins Phenolic ringed compounds

(broken down mainly by fungi)
Anaerobic Decomposition:
bacteria
4C2H5COOH + 2H2O 4CH3COOH + CO2 + 3CH4
proprionate acetate methane

bacteria
CH3COOH CO2 + CH4

bacteria
CO2 + 4H2 2H2O + CH4

Organism : methanogenic bacteria

Decomposition rate : slow
Energy yield : low (for the organism)
hence end products, e.g.,
CH4 have high energy
Soil Organic Matter

Effect of lignin and polyphenols on decay rate

❖ The higher the lignin content, the slower the

decomposition rate. Lignin of plant litter = 2-50%.
❖ Phenolics form highly resistant complexes with
proteins during decomposition and thus can slow
N mineralization and C oxidation.
 Inhibitory Effect of Polyphenol
Plant Lignin, Polyphenols, C / N Ka/
% %
Glyricidia 12 1.6 13 0.255
Leucaena 13 5.0 13 0.166
Rice straw 5 0.6 42 0.124
Corn stover 7 0.6 43 0.118
a/ - K decomposition constant (the longer the K, the faster is decay).

The effect of polyphenols on rate of

decomposition of plant material is shown by
comparison of K between Glyricidia and Leucaena
Carbon / Nitrogen Ratio
➢According to Gotaas, the
optimum C/N ratio for organic
materials is 30.
➢If the C/N ratio is high, it slows
down the decay rate.
The C/N ratio of some of the organic materials
are as follow:
Organic Material C/N Ratio
Cow manure 20 – 30
Hog manure 10 – 14
Chicken manure 9 – 10
Corn cobs 65 – 70
Rice straw 60 – 65
Soybean stover 32
Tree bark 200 – 250
Municipal refuse 25
 Soil Organic Matter
Effect of OM on Soil Properties
Physical
1.Enhances soil aggregation and aggregate
stability.
2.Reduces plasticity, cohesion and stickiness of
clayey soils.
3.Increases soil water retention, infiltration rate,
WHC and aeration.
4.Darken soil
5.Reduces bulk density and compaction.
Chemical
1.Increases CEC of soils.
2.Increases soil buffering capacity.
3.Increases nutrient availability through
solubilization of minerals by organic acids and
by chelation of metal ions.
4.Reduces Al toxicity by binding the Al ions in
non-toxic complexes.
5.Increases soil native supply of N, P, S, etc.
6.Adsorbs pollutants such as Pb, Cd and Cu.
7.Inactivates toxin and pesticides.
Biological

1.Provides C and energy to soil organisms

and thus increases their diversity and
activity.

2.Enhances microbial functions such as N

fixation, decomposition, and nutrient
transformations.
 OM and Physical Properties

Effect of 20 years addition of compost (7.5 T/ha)

in Korean soil (Shin, 1975).
Soil property Control With compost
Soil strength (mm) 19.6 16.0
Porosity (%) 53.4 57.1
BD (gm/cc) 1.26 1.15
Avail. Water (%) 18.6 19.0
Hydraulic conductivity (cm/hr) 2.96 5.21
OM (%) 2.75 2.76
Chelation
Fe readily forms complex with organic
compounds such as polyphenols, aliphatic acids,
citric acid and fulvic acids. As chelated Fe, Fe is
available to plants. Fe complex with citrate can be
taken up by plants. Chelate (Gr. “claw”) is a
substance where a cation is surrounded by a ring
which make it non-reactive to form precipitate.
• stability of chelates:

Fe3+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Fe2+ > Mn2+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+
THE END