Abstract
Burning rice straw contribute to Atmospheric Pollution, which makes it unsustainable in the long-run, but are still opted by farmers due to faster removal of residue. Lignocellulose Degrading Microorganisms, facilitating sustainable management, may accelerate the breakdown of various crop residues. A study comprised of twenty-one treatments including fungal strains, bacterial strains and microbial consortia. In addition, nitrogen supplementation as well as the retention of rice crop residue and incorporation were included in treatments accordingly. The results showed that T(12) (Residue Incorporated + Microbial Consortia + Urea) have highest decomposition and enzyme activities. With content of rice residue decreased to cellulose 17%, hemicellulose 4% and lignin 16% from 41%, 9%, and 28% respectively in T(12). Enzyme activities being highest on 30th DOA (Day of Application) were; cellulose activity of 0.691 µmole/ml/h, laccase activity of 705.7 µg/µl/h and peroxidase activity of 271.2 µmole/g/h in T(12). The CO(2) emission by the T(12) were also highest on 30th day as 6.16 mg CO(2)/g/d, which still when compared to the values of open field burning were prominently lower. Therefore, for the purpose of sustainable residue management, we deduce that the employment of microbial consortia in conjunction with residue-incorporated nutrient supplementation has the potential to accelerate the larger-scale decomposition of rice straw.