International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture
Volume:6 Issue: 2, Spring 2017

Composting has the potential to recycle wastes as a means of conserving natural resources. The study was aimed at examining feasibility of producing nutrient-enriched composts from pest infested cocoa pods with chemical amendments and using manure composts as a fertilizing material in cocoa seedling nursery.
Cocoa pod waste was composted in static vessels, aerobically, with chemical enrichments (triple super phosphate charged at 0.4% P or urea charged at 0.8% N or poultry manure charged at 22%) along with a control at the Cocoa and Coconut Institute, Papua New Guinea. The reaction (pH) of the composting mixtures (pH) and macro-nutrients dynamics was monitored at periodic intervals. Effect of soil incorporation of cocoa pod manure composts at 10 g kg−1 was assessed on the growth and foliar concentration of macro-nutrients in hybrid cocoa seedlings.
In the finished manure composts, dry matter loss ranged from 30.6 to 63.3%; greatest in composting mixtures charged with super phosphate and poultry manure. Besides, super phosphate enriched mixture lost small fraction of initial N (6.6%) compared to un-enriched cocoa pod waste (30.2%). Composting mixtures with greater pH values during composting process showed higher losses of N. Super phosphate charged manure compost outperformed the control, in terms of C/N ratio and concentration of macro-nutrients (P, K, Ca, Mg and S). Quality parameters for all the manure composts conformed to the Canadian Compost Guidelines indicating satisfactory standards. Waste cocoa pods enriched with superphosphate did not show any deleterious effects on cocoa seedlings’ growth, rather, improved plant height, dry matter production and foliar N concentration.
Waste cocoa pods, co-composted with triple super phosphate and poultry manure, produced composts of desirable quality and can be effectively used to fertilize the cocoa seedlings.

The region of Souss-Massa generates huge quantities of organic horticultural wastes estimated up to 1,307,465 tons·year−1. Fruit and vegetable producers are asked to process the organic wastes because of the GlobalGAP certification requirements. As a result, there is a need to assess the existing composting plants at regional scale, to improve their efficiency, produce a high-quality soil amendment, free from any pathogens, and weed seeds.
The survey consisted of a diagnosis of the quantitative and qualitative status of the organic horticultural wastes (axillary buds; pruned leaves), and an agro-environmental assessment of nine composting units.
The analysis of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) in the organic wastes reveals that 13 million euro worth of N, P, and K can be generated by composting all horticultural wastes (12,000 tons of nitrogen, 6000 tons of phosphorus and 14,000 tons of potassium · year−1), constituting for soils an important source of fertilization backup. Results of field investigations showed that 55% of the composting plants have an area equal to one hectare. The proximity between mature piles and raw materials in 55.5% of cases could highly contaminate them by root knot nematode inoculum. Only 11% of composting units were operating on impermeable surface. The test of circular chromatography showed that 80% of sampled composts are immature, even with high operational costs.
Much effort is required to control and optimize the maturation process. The composting activity should be organized through a professional skilled organization, supported by scientific research and government subsidies.

Upsurge of oil-mill industries and associated generation of wastewaters constitutes a huge environmental problem in Nigeria. As an option to reckless disposal, such effluents are often fermented and used as biofertilizers for nutrient-poor soils, but the potential of cottonseed oil-mill effluent (COME) and agronomic evaluation of such potential has yet been studied.
A pot trial was conducted in northern Nigeria to assess the effects of COME fermented for 20 days and applied at five rates (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g 5-kg−1 soil) on soil fertility 2 weeks after application and performance of African Spinach over the next 5 weeks.
Soil pH increased steadily from 7.5 in unamended soil (control) to 8.0 at the maximum rate of fermented COME. Soil organic matter showed similar trend; from 16.7 to 27.7 g kg−1. Also, soil available nitrogen, available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium all indicated lowest values (0.28, 4.36 and 8.25 mg kg−1, respectively) in the control and the values increased steadily with increase in COME rate up to 0.47, 24.94 and 29.75 mg kg−1, respectively, at the maximum rate. By contrast, plant height, leaf area, number of leaves and fresh leaf yield of spinach were highest in the control and decreased with increase in COME rate until total inhibition of plant growth at ≥150 g 5-kg−1 soil.
Fermentation of COME for 20 days before use permits the expression of its fertilizer value in soil; however, the fermentation level attained within this period translates into a sub-optimal detoxification status that is too low for crop growth.

Dried lemon pulp (DLP) is a by-product of fruit processing industry and is containing active antioxidants such as flavonoids, isoflavones, and flavones. Thus, current experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of dietary graded levels of DLP on performance, intestinal morphology, and humoral immunity in broiler chickens.
Methods Accordingly, a total of 280-day-old broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to 4 treatments and 5 replicates of 14 chicks each. Dietary treatments included control (CON) with no additive as well as DLP1: 2.5, 5, and 7.5%; DLP2: 5, 7.5, and 10%; and DLP3: 7.5, 10, and 12% in starter, growing, and finisher phases, respectively. Subsequently, performance, intestinal morphology, and humoral immunity were evaluated throughout the experiment.
Body weight of chickens decreased when using graded levels of DLP during different periods of the experiment as compared with CON (P Dietary graded levels of DLP modified intestinal segments while deteriorated growth performance of chickens. Furthermore, DLP3 decreased jejunal crypt depth. Thereby, the use of DLP particularly at high levels is not recommended.

The study assessed trace metal levels in the leaves, stalks and roots of Spinacia oleracea harvested from soil treated with urine in comparison to chemical fertilizers and biosolids.
Spinacia oleracea seedlings were planted on soils pretreated with urine, chemical fertilizers and biosolids.
The soil treated with chemical fertilizers resulted in an increase of Cr, Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni and Sb while there was an increase in the concentrations of Zn and Hg in the soil treated with urine. The soil with no amendments recorded higher mean values of As and Mn, whereas the biosolids treatment did not show any increases of the trace metals in the soil. The concentration of Mn, Pb and Ni in the leaves and stalks of S. oleracea harvested from soil treated with urine were below the recommended limits for trace metals in edible plants as set by WHO even though the urine treatment recorded the highest concentration of Cd in the roots, stalks and leaves. The S. oleracea harvested from the soil treated with chemical fertilizers showed an accumulation Cu and Mn in the stalks and leaves while those harvested from soil treated with biosolids showed an accumulation of Cr, As, Zn and Ni in the stalks and Cr, Pb and Sb in the leaves and all trace metals in the roots except Cd and As. S. oleracea harvested from the soil with no amendments showed an accumulation of Cr, As, Zn and Ni in the stalks and Cr, Pb, Zn and Sb in the leaves. The transfer factor showed that Cd, Zn, Mn and Sn were translocated from the soil to the leaves even though the concentrations were below acceptable limits for human consumption.
The study demonstrated that the use of urine as a soil amendment may not facilitate or increase the bioavailability of trace metals in the plant tissues.

Keratinous wastes are the solid environmental pollutant generated from poultry farms, slaughterhouses and barber’s shops. The aim of the present study is the degradation of keratinous wastes in an eco-friendly way by biological methods, which should further be helpful to reduce the wastes and recycled into valuable feed and fertilizers.
Degradation of keratinous substrates was assessed by highly potent keratinophilic fungi, namely Chrysosporium queenslandicum TKKASb Apinis and R.G. Rees. This chicken feather degrading fungal strain previously isolated and identified by morphological and 18 s rDNA sequencing in laboratory, was used in the present study. Ch. queenslandicum was inoculated into the basal salt medium (BSM) with keratinous substrates for 12 and 24 days at 28 ± 2 °C to observe degradation. The rate of degradation was expressed as weight loss of keratin substrate over incubation days and pH variation.
In this study, Ch. queenslandicum showed maximum degradation on chicken feathers followed by human nail clippings, animal hair and human hair. The degradation rate on chicken feather was 38.40 ± 0.80 and 46.40 ± 2.50% after 12 and 24 days, respectively. The basal salt medium’s pH was increased over incubation time. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination also demonstrated the degradation of chicken feathers.
The results suggest that Ch. queenslandicum possess the potential biotechnological applications which can be used in the hydrolysis of keratinous waste and recycling of poultry waste for environmental protection. The hydrolyzed keratinous material can also be utilized as the source of fertilizers for plants and feed for animals.

Huge amount of yard waste is produced in cities with excessive agricultural activities like Cameron Highlands, Malaysia where most of the time the yard waste is being managed poorly and big portion of it ends in dump sites. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the applicability of converting yard waste generated in Cameron Highlands Malaysia into high-quality and fast compost via in-vessel method.
In-vessel composting technique was applied for speedy biotransformation of yard waste. Addition of food waste, effective microorganisms (EM) and Shimamoto Enzyme® (SE) were investigated for improvement of compost quality. Four compositions of feedstock with different yard waste (YW) and food waste (FW) ratios were tested. The compositions were 70%YW 30%FW, 80%YW 20%FW, 90%YW 10%FW and 100%YW. Physicochemical properties of compost including pH, moisture content and C/N ratio were monitored throughout the experiment. Furthermore, quality of compost and its potential for direct application after production were evaluated based on germination index (GI) and nutrient content (NPK).
The compost samples had pH ranging from 7 to 9 and moisture content of 15.45–32.13%. Initial C/N ratio of all feedstock was decreased throughout the composting process by more than 50%. Seed germination test showed that only 70%YW 30%FW feedstock produced immature compost with GI Application of in-vessel composting can improve solid waste management in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia and yield a high-demand product. The approach used in this study can be a good practice for the societies have difficulties in managing their yard waste.

Farming production in the lower part of Río Negro Valley (Argentina) has increased considerably during recent years, causing soil degradation and, specifically, decreasing the organic matter contents. This fact requires recovery measures, as organic amendments for soils, to improve its quality. The marked objectives for the present research is to evaluate compost as organic fertilizer, based on a mix of onion waste and bovine manure.
The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, involving five treatments and one control, with ten copies of each one. Tests were performed in a greenhouse, using flowerpots and experimental plots, in a typical soil of the region (Aridisol), pH 8.3 and 2.2% of organic matter, mixed with different compost dosages (20, 40, 60 and 80 Mg ha−1) and the chemical treatment, Urea (0.26 Mg ha−1). A horticultural farming of 1 lettuce was sowed (Lactuca sativa). A conventional handling was carried out for the whole cultivation period, and at the end was harvested. Ten plants per plot were taken and were determined total fresh weight, aerial part fresh weight, root part fresh eight. In the dry controls total dry weight, aerial dry weight and root dry weight was determined.
Results show, with an error (p It can be concluded that the addition of organic fertilizer to soils, has positive effect on the Fresh weight of the plant, recommending the use of doses of 6 kg m−2 while the dose of 8 kg m−2 could replace the use of chemical fertilizers such as Urea.

Transformation of nitrogen (N) from different manure sources to available forms to promote food security in context of rising climate change is vital. Effect of manure (types, nutrients, high rates and application time) on soil N transformation requires further investigation. This study evaluated effects of three animal manures on soil N mineralization of sandy clay loam.
A 22-week field study in a Randomized Complete Block Design (three replicates) was conducted using dried Cattle, Goat and Poultry Manures (CGPM), applied at 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 120 and 150 t ha−1 once at onset of the study. Also, N15P15K15 (0.4 t ha−1) was incorporated in three splits of 2, 8 and 14 weeks after incorporation (WAI) of manures as reference. Soil NH4–N and NO3−–N were determined bi-weekly.
The results showed N release peaked at 10 WAI with highest NH4–N (830, 400, 253 mg kg−1) and NO3−–N (316, 398, 250 mg kg−1) at 150, 60 and 60 t ha−1 for CGPM, respectively. Initial rapid N release phase occurred at 0–4 WAI, NH4–N and NO3−–N increased averagely by 182, 183, 139% and 131, 175, 144% for CGPM, respectively. Declines occurred at 8, 14 and 22 WAI but reduction observed at 22 WAI tripled 8 and 14 WAI.
Conclusionsz: Application of NPK and all the manures provided highest soil NH4–N and NO3−–N at 12 WAI. High rates of CGPM were not injurious to these soil properties; hence this has implication for N to maximize plants uptake as well as decrease losses to environment.

Guarantee the product protection and correction of errors, to improve the costs derived from quality defects and to reduce the final over control.
In this paper, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system is applied to the processing line of compost used in the cultivation of mushrooms and other edible cultivated fungi.
From all stages of the process, only the reception of spawn (stage 1), raw materials (stage 3) and composting Phase II—pasteurization and conditioning (stage 7) has been considered as Critical Control Point. The main hazards found were the presence of pathogenic bacteria (stages 1 and 3), the high content in heavy metals (step 3), the use of unauthorized pesticides or doses above the permitted (stage 3), the presence of unauthorized organic matter (stage 3), the contamination by contact with the compost of Phase I (stage 7), and the wrong distribution of compost (stage 7).
The implementation of this knowledge will allow the composting plants to control the quality and safety of their products, in order to provide safe compost to the mushroom producing industries.