PROPERTIES OF POULTRY MANURE-BASED COMPOST OBTAINED AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF TWO MICROORGANISMS

Objective. Study the properties of compost obtained after composting organic mixture of poultry manure, peat and straw under the effect of Trichoderma harzianum PD3 and Bacillus megaterium 362. Methods. Microbiological (method of genetic marking of populations to obtain antibioticresistant mutants of bacteria, determination of the number of bacteria and micromycetes by the plate method on agar media), agrochemical (determination of carbon and nitrogen content in compost), physiological (biotesting of bacterial and micromycetes culture fluids and aqueous extracts of compost), statistical. Results. Active cellulose decomposers B. megaterium 362 and T. harzianum PD3 are able to take root in composted mixtures based on poultry manure both under the condition of mono-introduction and when introduced together into the substrate. Monitoring the number of microorganisms, carried out over time 6, 9 and 12 weeks after the introduction of inoculants into the composted substrate, showed that combined use, which involves the alternate introduction of fungal and bacterial strains with a time gap of one month, resulted in the development of the introduced microorganisms in the composted substrate throughout the entire observation period. Carbon and nitrogen losses during composting are reduced both when using T. harzianum PD3 and B. megaterium 362 separately and in combination without a significant difference between the experimental variants. The results of specific bioassays confirmed the presence of auxin and cytokinin activities of both microorganisms-introducers at tenfold dilutions of culture fluids (CF) from 1/10 to 1/1000. CF of T. harzianum PD3 exhibited cytokinin activity also at a dilution of 1/10 000. Gibberellin activity was recorded only at the lowest dilutions (1/10), which may indicate insignificant amounts of gibberellin-like substances in CF of the micromycete and bacteria. The aqueous extract of compost obtained by the combined introduction of T. harzianum PD3 and B. megaterium 362 was characterized by high cytokinin activity, significantly surpassing the traditional compost without the introduction of microorganisms. Conclusion. The staged application of selected microorganisms (one month after the start of composting — T. harzianum PD3 and two months later — B. megaterium 362) ensures an increase in the intensity of mineralization processes in the composted substrate and the production of a finished product as a result of composting — bioorganic fertilizer with an increased content of phytohormonal substances.