Proceedings Sardinia 2007, Eleventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy; 1 - 5 October 2007  2007 by CISA, Environmental Sanitary Engineering Centre, Italy NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF POULTRY LITTER AS INFLUENCED BY COMPOSTING UNDER VARIOUS STORAGE CONDITIONS A. N. CHAUDHRY , M. A. KHAN, S. ALI, G. JILANI, M. AKMAL, T. IQBAL, M. ISLAM AND S. U. KHAN Department of Soil Science & SWC, University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan SUMMARY: Composting of Poultry litter (PL) offers a convenient and environmentally acceptable method of its disposal. The present study was carried out comparing five storage methods for their effects on PL contents of plant nutrients under composting and uncomposting conditions. Storage methods were: shed storage, covered storage (plastic sheet), open storage, pit storage and lined storage. The pile / pit size was 2 x2 x 1 meter and the quantity of poultry litter in each one was 500 kg. For the purpose of composting, 40 % moisture was maintained in the piles of PL throughout the study period. Temperature of the piles was recorded at 3 days interval. The C: N ratio of the piles was determined after 15 days interval. PL was stored up to 90 days. Composite PL samples were collected after an interval of 15 days for determination of C, N, P & K. A three factor factorial design was employed. Highest values of NPK concentration were found after 90 days under covered storage method. With increase in storage time, nitrate concentration also increased being maximum (15.7 ug g -1 ) after 90 days. The results shows that PL composted under covered storage method resulted in higher nutrient composition (N, P & K). 1. INTRODUCTION Poultry litter is a waste product of commercial poultry farms. It is a mixture of poultry droppings and bedding materials, such as sawdust and rice-hull. Owing to its high macronutrients content and significant amounts of secondary and micronutrients, poultry litter is considered to be the most valuable organic manure for fertilizing purpose. In addition to benefits that poultry litter provides to crop production in the form of nutrients, this organic manure can build soil organic matter reserves which benefits crop production, and structural stability (Moore Jr. et al., 1995). In Pakistan, with the development of poultry industry, large quantities of poultry litter are produced. This litter is being used as fertilizer by the farmers and is considered as a better organic fertilizer than the farmyard manure. Thus recycling of organic waste in agriculture adds much needed organic and mineral matter to the soil (Khan et al., 2003). Presently, our farmers are not storing poultry litter properly. After removal from the poultry sheds, it is kept in open as a pile. Sometimes the pile is left up to one year to subside burning