Additive of cow dung weakened the influences of microbial interactions on nitrogen dynamic during composting of rice husks.

ABSTRACT: Rice husk (RH) and cow dung (CD) are two of the most abundant agricultural solid waste. Converting these residues into peat-free substrates through co-composting supports sustainable agricultural development. A 40-day rice husk composting experiment was conducted to assess the effects of cow dung addition on microbial networks and carbon-nitrogen dynamics using 16S rRNA and metagenomic analyses. Furthermore, Furthermore, we prepared seedling substrates from composts of RH alone and RH combined with CD (RHCD), and evaluated their plant growth-promoting effects. The addition of cow dung (CD) to rice husk (RH) composting increased the average temperature from 52.8 °C to 60.1 °C and acted as a pH buffer, maintaining values around 7.4. CD significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced microbial netwo

SUBMITTER: Zhang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12623384 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature