By Mba, Caroline C.
Recently b~otechnologyis focl~singa ttention
on ul~l~rnt~ool bn~ ologicarle sources to solve n numbel of
environmental prot)lcrns such as sod lertilily managcment.
Results ol nx rob~asl l udies on carlhworm con~posrln Ihe
CJ~i~versiotyl Niger~ala r~n~ dmt ~ f ~a cnudm ber of rock
phos[.jha!e solub~l~rir'~~cyt~ nomy:.i:lesT wo 01 these.
sola ales 02 arid 13. werc found to be ellicierit rock
phosphalc (RP) solubil~/c?rsa nd last-growing cellulolytic
m~crohrtsp r o h c ~ n gc: xlracellular hydrolasc enzymes. In
this prelinlinary llcld slutly Ihc Iwn microbial isolates wcrc
~nvcslrgalrx will1 rospc:cl lo Itimr ellccls on lhc growth ol
soyI)cCl~mi d C QUSI as WOIIa s their eflect on Ihc ir~cidcncc
of toxicity of poultry droppings. Application of these
isolales in poultry manure-lreated ficld plols, as lrjicrobial
fertilizers, brought about yield increases of .i3% and 17%
with soybeans and 19% anrl 33% w~rhe gusi, rcspect~vely
Soil properlies were also improved. With isolales 02 and
19. the soil available phosphorus increased at the five-leal
slage, wtlile N-fixallon in Ihe so11 increased by 45% or 11%
relative lo control It was further observed that all -dried
poullry manure allcr lour days of incubi-illon was still toxic
to soybean. The toxic cffcct of the applied poultry mnrrurc
was rcduccd or elirnmolcd wilh rnic;robial lert~l~ze0rs2 or
13. rc!speclivcly.