Potential of compost for sustainable crop production and soil health

Abstract Organic waste can be converted to compost for sustaining soil health by microbial activities to improve its physiochemical properties. Compost is called as Gardener’s Gold and a vital partner in enhancing crop productivity on a sustainable basis. Composting is helpful to reduce the volume of wastes and in managing landfills through recycling and reusing of organic waste. Vermicompost is also a type of compost utilizing worms for organic wastes disintegration. Composting can be categorized as an aerobic and anaerobic process either carried out in the existence of air or done in controlled air condition. In the aerobic process, it can be grouped into heap, aerated window, and in-vessel, whereas in anaerobic conditions, it is classified into stacks or pile, bokashi, and submerged composting. Nowadays, mechanical composter is available, which is cost effective in terms of time and labor-saving. Compost benefits soil in various ways, such as reducing soil’s bulk density and improve water holding capacity, in addition to having an antagonistic effect on pests. The addition of compost in soil enhances microbial activities that consequently trigger mineralization and recycling of organic substances, thereby increases crop productivity. The biochemical changes that occur during decomposition are described on the basis of different phases like the latent phase (microbes are acclimatized and colonized in the compost heap), growth phase, thermophilic phase, and maturation phase. Compost can be enriched through suitable strains of beneficial microbes, inorganic fertilizers, or other suitable additives. Keeping in view the importance of biochemical reactions involved in the process of composting, the aim of this chapter is to highlight the basic understanding of composting biochemistry, its phases, and, finally, its role in sustainable agriculture.