Agro wastes compost quality parameters and effect on the growth of Amaranthus amaranthus
Francisca Abumchukwu Okoli | Edna Ifeoma Chukwura | Augustine Ebele Mbachu
Amaranthus amaranthus contains all the essential nutrients required by the body for healthy growth. However, poor soil nutrients have hampered the cultivation of amaranthus in Nigeria. Agricultural waste compost is expected to provide all the nutrients required for plant growth. This study was aimed at investigating the quality of compost produced from agricultural wastes and its impact on the growth of Amaranthus amaranthus. The composting process was carried out on a windrow for 28 d. Bacterial and fungal populations were respectively determined by plate counting. Various physicochemical parameters were also used to assess the quality of the compost. Different compost-to-soil ratios was used to cultivate Amaranthus; the plant height and number of leaves were used as the growth parameters. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Bacterial and fungal populations (× 106 cfu/mL) decreased from 2.5 ± 0.05 and 1.5 ± 0.05 to 1.0 ± 0.05 and 0.5 ± 0.05 respectively, during the composting period. Temperature decreased from 44.0 ± 0.58 to 31.0 ± 0.58 °C while pH increased from 6.9 ± 0.06 to 8.4 ± 0.03. There was a decreasing trend in moisture, carbon, and total nitrogen during the period of composting. The plant height and number of leaves were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in 100% compost and compost-treated soils compared to the control soil. A strong positive correlation (p = 0.000) was observed between the fungal count, plant height, and number of leaves with some physicochemical parameters such as moisture, carbon, C/N-ratio among others. The compost produced was stable and contained nutrients which improved the growth and yield of A. amaranthus.
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