Assessement of Several Lignocellulolytic Isolates for Sugarcane Trash Decomposition

Abstract

In the sugar industry, sugar cane trash is produced with the characteristics of high lignin and cellulose content. Naturally, litter can be decomposed, but the activity of lignocellulolytic and cellulolytic enzymes excreted by lignocellulolytic microbes will accelerate decomposition. This experiment was carried out to obtain microbes capable of decomposing sugarcane trash in situ in the field. Exploration activities have been carried out by collecting samples in the form of soil, trash, and mushroom fruiting bodies from several sugar cane plantation areas. Next, the selected isolates were combined to obtain a consortium of selected lignocellulolytic microbes as active ingredients for sugarcane trash  decomposers. For this purpose, a series of tests on the effectiveness of isolates in decomposing sugar cane trash in glass jars, sacks, in beds, Petri dishes, bag logs and in the field have been carried out. The observations made were temperature, humidity, level of friability, C, and N content. The results of the study showed that based on the parameters of friability level, pH and color change of sugarcane litter, 10 (ten) microbial isolates were obtained consisting of 6 cellulolytic bacterial isolates and 2 lignolytic bacterial isolates,  one selected cellulolytic fungi and one lignolytic fungi. In the next activity, the ten isolates were formulated into one formula which had the potential to degrade sugar cane trash in less than 8 weeks.