Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part R (2025)

The use of liquid bioconsortia offers a promising approach to accelerate the biodegradation of agricultural residues through enhanced microbial diversity and enzymatic activity. A two-year field investigation was conducted to assess the impact of cellulolytic liquid bioconsortia on the composting dynamics and maturity of sugarcane trash. Among the treatments, application of cellulolytic liquid bioconsortium at 2 L per metric ton (T₄) of sugarcane trash exhibited superior composting performance, with the highest total organic carbon (20.45%), lowest C:N ratio (18.90), greatest weight loss (18.87 kg pit⁻¹), and maximum decomposition (41.93%). The same treatment also recorded the shortest composting period (129 days) and peak temperature of 66.15°C, indicating faster biodegradation and maturity compared with the control. Microbial analysis of matured compost revealed significantly higher populations in T₄, with mean bacterial counts of 22.28 × 10⁷ cfu g⁻¹, fungal counts of 17.83 × 10⁴ cfu g⁻¹, and actinomycetes counts of 17.53 × 10⁵ cfu g⁻¹. Overall, the study demonstrated that cellulolytic liquid bioconsortia effectively enhance the decomposition rate and compost quality of sugarcane trash, promoting efficient organic waste recycling and sustainable soil nutrient management.