Saleem Iqra, Asad Wajeeha, Kiran Tabbasum, Asad Sabahat Binte, Khaliq Sana, Ali Mohammed Al-Harethi Amira, Mallasiy L O, Shah Tawaf Ali
Department of Microbiology, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.
Federal urdu university of arts, science, and technology (FUUAST), Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.
BMC Microbiol. 2025 Apr 10;25(1):207. doi: 10.1186/s12866-025-03866-z.
This study was conducted to develop a cost-effective and environmentally friendly biofertilizer by utilizing chicken feather waste. Two bacterial strains were employed to biotransform the abundant keratin protein in feathers. The keratinolytic bacterial strains used in this study were identified as Bacillus licheniformis MW45 and Bacillus paralicheniformis MW48. The feather hydrolysate was assessed for its effectiveness as a nitrogen fertilizer with slow-release properties. The study employed a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates, and statistical analysis, including ANOVA followed by Tukey's test, was used to validate the differences between treatments. The test plant was spinach, and various growth parameters were observed. The growth promotion activity of the produced biofertilizer was compared with a commercially available NPK fertilizer. The results showed that the growth promotion effect of chicken feather hydrolysate was significantly higher than the control and commercially available NPK fertilizer. The feather hydrolysate displayed the highest germination percentage (48%), vigor index (1081.44), number of leaves (17), height (22.53 cm), and weight (3.493 g), compared to the chemical fertilizer's germination percentage (31%), vigor index (714.4), number of leaves (13), height (18.5 cm), and weight (1.904 g). Statistical analysis showed that the fermented chicken feather hydrolysate can be effectively applied as a slow-releasing nitrogen fertilizer in agricultural fields. The novelty of this study lies in the use of a bacterial consortium to transform chicken feathers into high efficiency biofertilizer. This production may not only supports the national economy by increasing crop yield but also contributes to a cleaner and greener Pakistan by recycling feather waste.
本研究旨在通过利用鸡毛废弃物开发一种经济高效且环保的生物肥料。使用了两种细菌菌株对羽毛中丰富的角蛋白进行生物转化。本研究中使用的角蛋白分解细菌菌株被鉴定为地衣芽孢杆菌MW45和类地衣芽孢杆菌MW48。对羽毛水解产物作为具有缓释特性的氮肥的有效性进行了评估。该研究采用完全随机设计（CRD），重复三次，并使用包括方差分析（ANOVA）和随后的Tukey检验在内的统计分析来验证处理之间的差异。试验植物为菠菜，并观察了各种生长参数。将生产的生物肥料的促生长活性与市售的氮磷钾（NPK）肥料进行了比较。结果表明，鸡毛水解产物的促生长效果显著高于对照和市售NPK肥料。与化肥的发芽率（31%）、活力指数（714.4）、叶片数（13）、株高（18.5厘米）和重量（1.904克）相比，羽毛水解产物的发芽率最高（48%）、活力指数（1081.44）、叶片数（17）、株高（22.53厘米）和重量（3.493克）。统计分析表明，发酵后的鸡毛水解产物可作为缓释氮肥有效地应用于农田。本研究新颖之处在于利用细菌联合体将鸡毛转化为高效生物肥料。这种生产方式不仅可以通过提高作物产量来支持国民经济，还可以通过回收羽毛废弃物为更清洁、更环保的巴基斯坦做出贡献。
