FACTORS AFFECTING RATES OF

DECOMPOSITION

FACTORS AFFECTING RATES OF

DECOMPOSITION

1.Effects of aeration2.Effects of nitrogen3.Effects of prior colonization

EFFECTS OF AERATION:SILAGE PRODUCTION

Composting

• Usually is aerobic process• Rate severely reduced if anaerobic conditions

develop in the centre of the compost

Silage

• Anaerobic process• Becoming increasingly popular as an

alternative to hay-making in the wetter parts of Brittain

Making of Silage1. Fresh grass or clover is cut and “wilted” for a

few hours in the field.2. The materials is then chopped and bruised to

release any available nutrients and plant enzymes.

3. It is then compacted into an air-tight silo4. Microorganism start to grow in the silo

Making of Silage5. Soon the oxygen depleted, only lactic acid

bacteria continue grow.6. The material can then be stored more or less

indefinitely.• Due to combination of low pH and anaerobic

conditions

Importance– Underline the significance of aeration in

decomposition process.

Differences– pH– Temperature– Rate of decomposition– The microbial flora