Vol. 9, Special Issue 7, Part K (2025)

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of different decomposers on carbon and nitrogen fractions during the composting of incense s bamboo waste. The experiment was performed at the College of Agriculture, Nagpur (M.S.), under AICRP on Agroforestry (Futala farm), and spanned 45, 90, and 120 days. Eight treatment combinations were assessed, incorporating cow dung, poultry manure, and lignolytic fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium). The treatments were as follows: T1 - BW (control), T2 - BW + 10 kg CD, T3 - BW + 5 kg PM, T4 - BW + 10 kg CD + 0.2 kg LF, T5 - BW + 5 kg PM + 0.2 kg LF, T6 - BW + 5 kg CD + 0.06 kg N + 0.2 kg LF, T7 - BW + 2.5 kg PM + 0.06 kg N + 0.2 kg LF, and T8 - BW + 5 kg CD + 2.5 kg PM + 0.2 kg LF. The application of combined decomposers accelerated the decomposition rate of incense bamboo waste. Among all treatments, T8 recorded the highest accumulation of carbon and nitrogen fractions, including very labile (8.74%), labile (3.24%), less labile (8.33%), and non- labile (10.44%) carbon, as well as ammoniacal nitrogen (0.026%) and nitrate nitrogen (0.037%). Results indicated dynamic shifts in organic carbon and nitrogen fractions, with labile carbon increasing while non-labile carbon exhibited a consistent decline. Ammoniacal nitrogen initially rose and then declined over time, whereas nitrate nitrogen continuously increased, suggesting effective mineralization. These findings highlight the role of microbial inoculants in promoting compost stability and nutrient maturity.