Chicken feather meal has had a significant biofertilizer approach in recent years. The current study aims to assess feather biodegradation to promote plant and fish growth. The Geobacillus thermodenitrificans PS41 strain was more efficient in feather degradation. Feather residues were separated after degradation and evaluated under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to detect bacterial colonization on feather degradation. It was observed that the rachi and barbules were entirely degraded. The complete degradation by PS41 suggests a relatively more efficient feather degradation strain. According to Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) studies, PS41 biodegraded feathers contain the functional groups of aromatic, amine, and nitro compounds. The present study suggested that biologically degraded feather meal improved plant growth. The feather meal combined with nitrogen-fixing bacterial strain showed the highest efficiency. The biologically degraded feather meal and Rhizobium combination induced physical and chemical changes in the soil. It is directly involved in soil amelioration, plant growth substance, and soil fertility, enhancing a healthy crop environment. The feather meal 4 and 5% was used as a feed diet of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) to increase growth performances and feed utilization parameters. In hematological and histological studies of formulated diets, significantly no toxic effects occurred in fish blood, gut, or fimbriae.
Keywords: Chicken feather; Degradation; Feather meal; Fish growth; Geobacillus thermodenitrificans; Plant growth.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.