The use of cow dung as fertilizer is not new for rural people who have livelihoods as farmers. However, for people living in urban areas, the use of cow dung as a fertilizer is still strange. For some people who are unfamiliar, cow dung may be very disgusting because it has an unpleasant aroma. However, the use of cow dung as fertilizer is cow dung that is already dry and has a relatively stinging smell. The use of cow dung as a plant fertilizer almost no side effects at all. Precisely the use of cow dung as fertilizer is recommended because cow dung is free of chemicals that can damage the balance of nature, one of which is the destruction of soil construction.
As mentioned earlier, the use of cow dung as fertilizer is highly recommended because cow dung will not damage the soil construction. Cow dung is a waste of cattle that has high nutrient content and is useful for the development of plants. Cow manure contains very high fiber, including high cellulose content. The fiber content will increase when cow dung mixes with cow urine. However, the use of fresh cow dung is not recommended because it has not undergone a fermentation process.
To use cow dung as a crop manure, cow dung must first be allowed to dry (fermented) or in the Javanese language often referred to as cold cow dung. The use of cow dung that is new to the plant will cause the plants to die.
Cow manure can be categorized as compost. One cow can produce a compost of 23.6 kg per day. Nutrient content in cow dung is beneficial to nourish plants so that plant growth will be more optimal. Cow manure contains nutrients in the form of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
The content of several types of nutrients that have been mentioned in a cow based on body weight is:
Cow with weight 227 kg able to produce cow dung with nitrogen content of 28,1%; phosphorus 9.1%; and potassium by 20%.
Cow weighing 340 kg can produce cow dung with nitrogen content of 42.2%; phosphorus 13.6%; and 30% potassium.
Cow weighing 454 kg can produce cow dung with nitrogen content of 56.2%; phosphorus 18.2%; and potassium 39.9%.
That is some nutrient content contained in cow dung.
Utilization of cow dung as compost is highly recommended in agriculture. Compost fertilizer is an organic fertilizer that will not cause negative impact for plants and the natural environment. It has been described previously about the nutrient content contained in cow dung, namely nitrogen, phospor, and potassium. All three are beneficial for plant growth.
1. Benefits of Nitrogen (N) in Cow Manure
The benefits of nitrogen for plant growth are:
increase plant growth
increase protein levels in the soil
improve vegetable crops produced by leaves
increase the activity of organisms in the soil
helps the synthesis of amino acids and proteins in plants
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2. The Benefits of Phosphorus (P) in Cow Manure
That is some role of nitrogen for plant growth and for soil fertility. Not only nitrogen, cow dung also contains phosphorus that is useful for:
helps respiration and also photosynthesis process in plants
helps the preparation of nucleic acids
help the formation of plant seeds and also fruit formation
stimulate the development of plant roots so that plants are more resistant to drought
accelerate crop time
Related Articles: The Benefits of Phosphorus - The Benefits of Phosphates in Everyday Life - The Benefits of Potassium
3. Potassium Benefits (K) in Cow Manure
Potassium content in cow dung also plays a major role in the process of plant growth, including:
forming and transporting carbohydrates in the plant body
useful as a catalyst in the process of protein formation
arrange various types of activities of mineral elements in the plant
neutralize the reaction present in the cell, especially the reaction of organic amino acids
increase the growth of meristem network
regulate the movement of stomata
increase the sturdiness of the stem tanman so it does not easily collapse
increase the carbohydrate and sugar levels in the fruit so that the fruit has a sweet taste (read also: the benefits of carbohydrates - the benefits of sugar stone - the benefits of palm sugar)
making the seeds of plants more contained and dense so that can be used as a superior seed
improve fruit quality in plants
increase plant resistance from pests and diseases
improve root plant development
4. Economic value
Has a better economic value because it can replace the use of chemical fertilizers so that production costs can be suppressed.
5. Relatively easy to use
Cow manure is easy to use and is applied as a compost for plants.
6. Nutrient providers
Cow manure is able to provide balanced nutrients for the soil
7. Land is getting loose
Soil structure increasingly loose because cow dung will increase the number of microbes in the soil.
8. Keeping soil pH
Cow manure can also improve damaged soil pH conditions
9. Increasing crop production
Utilization of cow dung as fertilizer was able to increase crop production up to 30%.
Thus the benefits of using cow dung as fertilizer plants. Although still rarely used in urban areas, but compost from cow dung is highly recommended even for all types of plants. Not only useful to optimize the growth of plants, the use of cow dung as fertilizer is also very environmentally friendly.