Studies on Decomposition of Banana Leaf and Mixture of Cattle Dung and Urine by Thermophilic Coprophilous Fungi Ajmera Shanthipriya*†, Sana Shanawaz* and Sivadevuni Girisham** *†Department of Microbiology, Palamuru University, Mahabubnagar-509001, Telangana, India **Department of Microbiology, Kakatiya University, Warangal-506009, Telangana, India †Corresponding author: Ajmera Shanthipriya; sreeja.poorvi@gmail.com ABSTRACT In this study, the microbial population responsible for decomposition of banana leaf with dung and urine of cattle (cow and sheep used here) was isolated, identifed, and their incidence calculated. During this study, signifcant changes were observed in different physio-chemical properties (temperature, pH, moisture content, humidity, ash content, total organic carbon, total nitrogen content, phosphorus) of decomposing material which focuses particularly on the role of thermophilic coprophilous fungi in reducing the time for decomposition. It also gives a clear demonstration of various effects of different environmental conditions on the microbial population during the process of decomposition. The decomposition product thus obtained was found to be rich in organic phosphorous and nitrogen, raising our hopes for a successful implementation of it in daily agricultural practices. INTRODUCTION Dung has an ecological community of microorganisms which supports the growth of thermophilic coprophilous fungi mainly because of its higher nitrogen content, pH and moisture content when compared with other substrates utilized by fungi (Webster 1970). Microbial changes during the decomposition of leaves have been reported by Hankin et al (1975), Sofia Duarte et al. (2009) and Manoharachary et al. (2014). Thermophilic coprophilous fungi are believed to contribute significantly to the rate of decomposition (Ross & Harris 1983, Richardson 2002, Masunga et al. 2006). Generally, decomposition involves both mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms. The optimal temperature range for thermophilic coprophilous fungi for growth and sporulation is 40-50°C. Temperature, oxygen, C/N ratio and moisture are important factors which affect composting (Waksman & Cordon 1939). The composition of plant res- idues changes during decomposition. The final products of their decomposition include carbon dioxide, water, energy, microbial biomass, inorganic nutrients and re-synthesized organic carbon compounds such as humus, phenolics, cellu- loses, hemicelluloses and lignin. Under aerobic conditions, microbial decomposition results in a release of CO 2 . Under anaerobic or oxygen-limited conditions, anaerobic decom- posers produce organic acids (Liu et al. 2006, Jianru 2013). In the succession of dung, urine and banana leaf residues with thermophilic coprophilous fungi, the temperature in- creased continuously up to 36°C-50°C. This group of fungi grows above 20°C-60°C (Rosenberg et al. 1972, Vijay & Pathak (2014). In previous reports, the authors were con- cerned about the composition and dynamics of the microflora during the decomposition of different wastes like garbage and plant material, organic wastes (Beffa et al. 1996, Atkinson et al. 1997, Donkova et al. 2008 & Ghaudhry et al. 2013) and animal manure on vermicomposting of mixed leaves litter (Viji & Neelanarayanan 2015). The populations of thermophilic and mesophilic mi- croorganisms have been identified during decomposition. Monitoring of the microbial succession is very important in the effective management of the decomposition process as microbes play a key role in the process and the appearance of some microorganisms reflect the quality of maturing com- post. Decomposition of organic matter by microbial activity is beneficial to mankind (Manoharachary et al. 2014). Decomposition of fresh plant materials by microbes releases additional nitrogen and converts organic nitrogen to available forms. The pattern and timing of mineralization depend on the quality of residue, C/N ratio, temperature, moisture content and method of incorporation (Swift et al. 1979). Ammonification occurs when organic matter is broken down into simpler amino compounds. Nitrogen is released in the form of ammonia through enzymatic digestion of bacteria and fungi, and then is dissolved in the soil solution as ammonium (NH 4 + ). Plants can use NH 4 + , although most nitrogen uptake is in the nitrate (NO 3 - ) form. Nat. Env. & Poll. Tech. Website: www.neptjournal.com Received: 01-09-2019 Accepted: 18-09-2019 Key Words: Banana leaf; Cattle dung; Thermophilic coprophilous fungi; Soil fertility 2020 pp. 815-823 Vol. 19 p-ISSN: 0972-6268 (Print copies up to 2016) No. 2 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology An International Quarterly Scientifc Journal Original Research Paper e-ISSN: 2395-3454 Open Access Journal Original Research Paper https://doi.org/10.46488/NEPT.2020.v19i02.039