Physicochemical characteristics of substrate obtained through composting of residues from cotton and poultry industries / características físico-químicas do substrato obtido através da compostagem de resíduos da indústria do algodão e da avicultura

Although it is widely used, peat is a material from geologic origin, with high environmental impact in its extraction and scarceness in the market, factors that lead to the increase of its cost. Based on these aspects, searching new alternatives for the development of inoculant carriers is necessary as the use of industrial and agricultural waste is environmentally very important. The objective of this study was to physicochemically produce and characterize an inoculant substrate obtained through composting of residues from the cotton and poultry industry. Initially, residues of cotton seed hull (CH) and laying hen manure (HM) were analyzed so as to know the macro and micronutrients content and the ratio between C and N. The experimental design was completely randomized with six treatments and four replications. The treatments were elaborated based on the raw material of HM and CH, resulting in different named formulated: SUB-A0, SUB-A1, SUB-A2, SUB-A3, SUB-A4 and SUB-A5. The following physicochemical parameters were analyzed: current moisture, wet density, dry density, water retention capacity, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon content, total nitrogen, C/N ratio, ammonium and nitrate. The analytical results demonstrate that compared to peat, formulated substrates have similar physicochemical characteristics and potential use as inoculant carrier.