International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture
Volume:12 Issue: 3, Summer 2023

Purpose The reuse of treated wastewater (TWW) in agriculture may affect the growth of plants. The goal of this study is to investigate the potential use of TWW in irrigating Lily in presence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in a closed soilless system.Method In the first experiment, plants were irrigated with a mixture of 3 part nutrient solution: 1 part treated wastewater (3NS:1TWW) supplemented with 50, 125, 160 or 200 mg L-1 Ca to determine the optimal Ca concentration supplement that would give the highest plant growth. In the second experiment, the plants were irrigated with a nutrient solution or a mixture of 3 part nutrient solution: 1part treated wastewater (3NS:1TWW) supplemented with 160 mg L-1 Ca in the presence or absence of AMF.Results The results indicated that the plants receiving the higher concentrations of Ca (160 or 200 mg L-1) showed better growth performance. The results showed that the plants receiving (3NS:1TWW) had a significantly higher dry weight of adventitious roots and fresh weight of the flower bud than those receiving nutrient solution. The flower bud was longer in presence of AMF. The highest shoot fresh weight was recorded for non-AMF plants receiving 3NS:1TWW, and the least shoot fresh weight.Conclusion The most efficient solution is to supplement the 3NS:1TWW irrigation solution with 160 mg Ca L-1 to reduce the salinity effects of TWW. Moreover, it is recommended to inoculate the roots of the Asiatic lily plants with AMF to achieve the longest flower.

Purpose This study was to obtain suitable methods and the combination of market organic waste to make better organic fertilizer.Method The data were obtained experimentally in the decomposer room. The experimental design was a completely randomized design. The market organic waste consisted of comparing cabbage, banana peduncle, pineapple, added rice straw, and cow manure as bedding. The study used 12 treatments with three replicates. 4 treatments for composting methods (without earthworm) and 8 for vermicomposting (4 treatments using Lumbricus rubellus and 4 treatments using Eudrillus eugeniae). The compost and vermicompost characteristics variables were final weight, reduction, color, texture, and smell. The variables for chemical properties were pH, C-organic, Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphoros, and Total Potassium.Results Vermicomposting method reduced market organic waste higher than compost 48.67 to 58%. Vermicompost is black like soil and more crumble. C-organic, pH, total Nitrogen, total Phosphorous and total Potassium following quality of SNI 19-7030-2004. The results show the compost with the combination of cabbage and banana peduncle combination (C-T1) had better values on total N (1.95%) and Total K (4.96%). Vermicompost with the combination of banana peduncle and pineapple with Eudrillus eugeniae (E-T3) had better average values ​​on total P (0.43%). The combination of market organic waste used to produce organic fertilizers can be made on a small or larger scale.Conclusion Vermicomposting is an effective strategy to reduce market organic waste. Composting with T1 combination (C-T1) and vermicomposting T3 combination (E-T3) had better value and was recommended for the following research stage.

Purpose Much cattle manure and Tithonia are in abundance in the Guinea savanna of Nigeria where sesame has been found to do well. The cost of inorganic fertilizer is going beyond the reach of the average sesame farmer; the need therefore arises to synthesize farming practices that incorporate the rich organic materials locally available as a substitute for inorganic fertilizer for sustainable food production.Methods A study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Ilorin, Nigeria during the 2018 and 2019 cropping seasons, to evaluate the performance of sesame using T. diversifolia and cattle manures.  The following treatments; T. diversifolia (control, 0.9, 1.8 and 2.7 tha-1) and cattle manure (7.5, 15 and 22.5 tha-1) were used. Treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design, and replicated four times. Data on soil water content, growth and morphological characters and yield were collected.Result Results showed that T. diversifolia and cattle manures application improved soil water and nutrient contents, growth and yield attributes of sesame. Tithonia diversifolia applied at 2.7 tha-1 and cattle manure applied at 22.5 tha-1 gave the highest growth attributes, T. diversifolia applied at the rate of 1.8 tha-1 gave a yield of 547.2 kgha-1 and 527.6 kgha-1 in the 1st and 2nd seasons respectively. Cattle manure at 15 tha-1 gave a yield of 517.3 and 517.2 kgha-1 in first and second season respectively.Conclusion Farmers are advised to use T. diversifolia at the rate of 1.8tha-1 for high yield.

Purpose A huge number of sewer blockages are caused due to scum depositions. The scum waste from the kitchen wastewater can be converted into a resource by composting it. This study investigates the degradation of Grease scum or Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) waste from grease trap with Vegetable waste (VW) and Grass clipping waste (GW) by passive aerobic bin composting for 55 days by evaluating variations in some of their physicochemical and biological process parameters.Method Five 80 L vertical composters were designed with a provision for leachate collection. Five mixes with varying FOG concentrations of 0%, 4%, 8%, 12%, and 16% with the rest of the mix containing VW and GW in 85:15 proportion in each bin was studied. Temperature, pH, EC, Moisture content (MC), Total volatile solids (TVS), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Lipid content, and CO2 Evolution rate were monitored during the composting period.Results All the composting mixes maintained temperatures above 40˚C for 6-9 days and were found to be stable, with their final CO2 evolution rates in the range of 1.0 to 3.47 mg CO2-C/g VS/d at the end of composting. Mix 4 recorded maximum moisture, organic matter, and carbon content reduction with low CO2 evolution rate and so is the optimum mix containing FOG waste of 12%, VW of 74.8%, and GW of 13.2%. Conclusion Results in this study indicated that the grease scum waste can be significantly degraded when composted with suitable materials, but could require durations longer than this study period.

Purpose The present study aims to evaluate the changes in parameters affecting the quality of vermicompost produced by the earthworm 'Eisenia fetida' on different organic waste substrates using multivariate analysis, variance analysis, factor analysis and principal component analysis (PCA).Method A completely randomized design experiment was conducted with a 2 × 8 factorial arrangement of experimental and control treatments in triplicate per treatment. We investigated the growth and reproduction of earthworms and the characteristics of vermicompost produced on different organic wastes and residues represented by carrot pulp (C), potato peel (P), vegetables (V) and sawdust (S) blended with cattle manure (as the main substrate) at two levels of 100 and 150 grams of each treatment in two kilograms of manure. Chemical parameters include pH, electrical conductivity (EC), carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) were measured in the vermicompost produced.Results The results of cluster analysis and PCA grouped nine substrate combinations into three categories with similar qualitative characteristics. The first two principal components in PCA revealed that the major parameters responsible for the qualitative changes in the produced vermicompost were iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.Conclusion Current results suggested that the treatment CPVS and the treatment S (sawdust) provided the optimal conditions for the growth and reproduction of earthworms and the production of high-quality vermicompost.

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the potential of Eisenia fetida (Redworm) in composting different types of waste, namely tea waste (TW), vegetable waste (VW) (leaves of cauliflower), and mixed food waste (MFW).Method The experiment was set up inside the Lab room during the summer. For vermicompost preparation, 27 equal size vermi beds of moist sawdust were prepared in a tub basin. The organic wastes were separately fed to earthworms along with 10 grams of bonemeal and 10 grams of eggshell powder as supplemented materials. The mature worms, offspring, and cocoons were then counted after 14 weeks of the experiment. Moisture and pH of vermicompost were measured in the laboratory.Result The results show that Eisenia fetida preferred tea waste more than vegetable and mixed food waste. The total number of earthworms, including young, increased by 7.13 times in Tea waste with Bonemeal (TW-BM). In mixed food waste composting, the total number was increased by 3.06 times, and mature worms were increased by 0.21times in MFW-ES. However, all worms died in vegetable waste due to high pH and moisture. The productivity of vermicompost was higher in tea waste ranging from 39.86±0.59% (TW-C) to 43.64±2.75% (TW-ES).Conclusion The study concluded that a large number of leafy vegetables are not suitable for the health of earthworms. Significant results were obtained regarding the number of mature worms, offspring production, changes in the total number of worms, number of cocoons, and productivity of vermicompost among three kinds of waste composted.

Purpose Agro-industrial residues could be bio transformed to improve crop production and reduce environmental risk. Application of humic substances (HS) extracted from residues could be an alternative fertilization strategy. The objectives were i) to characterize different bio transformed agro-industrial residues (BR) and their HS by combining UV-vis and FT-IR techniques, and ii) to assess the effects of their application on wheat crop development and production.Method Two experiments were performed with winter wheat. The residues used were sunflower shells biotransformed by Pleurotus ostreatus fungus, alperujo naturally biotransformed by microorganisms in the environment and solid municipal waste biotransformed by Californian worms and composting. The HS were extracted from these residues. A pot experiment was performed with solid residue incorporated into the soil (Petrocalcic Haplustoll) using four nitrogen (N) levels calculated as the equivalent amount of N considering the amount of organic N (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha-1). A Petri dish experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of an application of HS extracted from each BR on early wheat development.Results In general, application of BR produced a negative crop response regardless of the residue and rate. The IR spectra of three BR showed similar absorption zones but with different intensities.Conclusion The application of BR in terms of the type of residue and rate had variable, mostly negative, effects on the wheat crop. However, extraction of HS from the BR and the subsequent application favored crop development. Spectrometric techniques, such as UV-Visible and FT-IR, are useful to verify the potential effect of HS as biostimulants of plant growth.

Purpose Agricultural wastes are by-product of agricultural processing. These wastes could serve as alternative materials for soil amendment and nutrient sources for crop production. A screen house experiment was conducted for two successive seasons (2019 and 2020) to evaluate the performance of charred poultry feather waste and plantain peel as nutrient sources on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of two varieties (Eva and Nemo-netta) of tomato.Method Four levels each of charred poultry feather waste and plantain peel at 2, 5, 8, and 10 t PF ha-1, control and 200 kg NPK ha-1 were used as treatments. The bags were arranged in a completely randomized design.  Treatments were replicated four times.Results The application of charred poultry feather waste and plantain peel significantly increased vegetative growth and yield parameters of tomato when compared with the control. Results also showed that combined application of the amendments compete favourably with the application of inorganic fertilizer. Higher values for all the parameters were observed when 5 t PP ha-1 + 5 t PF ha-1 was applied though similar values were found on the vegetative parameters with the applications of 2 t PP ha-1 + 8 t PF ha-1, 10 t PP ha-1, and 10 t PF ha-1. Yield and micronutrient concentration of Eva was also found to be higher than that of Nemo-netta.Conclusion The effects of 5 t PP ha-1 + 5 t PF ha-1 showed clear increase in vegetative, yield and nutrient uptake of Eva variety as compared to Nemo-netta.

Purpose The composting of manure is the common practice for the feedlots of cattle, but emission of gasses during composting was poorly understood. So, there is need to enhance nutrient contents in composting material, reduce odor and other impurities by various amendment in composting material. This study was planned to find best composting condition for quality compost production. Method Experiment was performed under completely randomized design (CRD) with three factors. First factor (treatment) comprised of three levels e.g.: T1: CM + WS (25% + 75%), T2: CM+WS (50%+50%) and T3: CM +WS (75% +25%). Second factor was composting conditions consisted of two levels e.g., aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Third factor was duration of composting (days). Results Composting conditions significantly influenced emission of greenhouse gasses and compost quality. Maximum gas volume (658 ml) and methane production (58.89%) were produced under anaerobic decomposition of cow manure and wheat straw 3:1, respectively. Maximum carbon dioxide (18.56%) was produced under the aerobic decomposition of cow manure and wheat straw mixed in 1:3 ratio. Nutrient analysis of compost revealed that high-quality compost with maximum total organic carbon (20.1%), total nitrogen (2.47%), phosphorus (0.76%) and potassium (1.49%) was observed from compost produced from anaerobic decomposition of cow manure and wheat straw mixture  @ 3:1.Conclusion This work highlights that the anaerobic composting of cow manure and wheat straw has potential to produce the biogas as well as best quality compost.

Purpose This research aims to characterize the physical and chemical properties of biochar derived from biodegradable domestic solid waste and sugarcane bagasse, in order to evaluate their possible uses in agronomic and environmental applications.Method Biodegradable domestic solid waste and sugarcane bagasse-based biochar were pyrolyzed at two pyrolysis temperatures (500 and 700 °C). Biochar properties included the determination of several physical and chemical parameters, i.e., pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), carbon content, iodine number, pH point of zero charge and surface morphology.Results Under the investigated conditions, biochar properties were greatly affected by both pyrolysis temperature and feedstock type. The pH, EC, CEC, pHpzc, iodine number and carbon content in biochar increased as the increasing pyrolysis temperature from 500 °C to 700 °C, whilst the opposite trend was found for biochar yield. Between the two biochar, at the same pyrolysis temperature, the sugarcane bagasse biochar possessed lower EC values (118.93 - 126.17 µS/cm) and carbon content (37.42 – 38.8%), but higher CEC values (18.62 - 20.12 cmol/kg) and iodine number (424.04 - 261.34 mg/g) than the biodegradable domestic solid waste biochar. SEM images of sugarcane bagasse biochar exhibited greater porosity than the biodegradable domestic solid waste biochar at both pyrolysis temperatures.Conclusion The results implied that sugarcane bagasse biochar have better potential to be used in applications including the improvement of soil characteristics, the removal of contaminants from aqueous media, and the remediation of contaminated soil. To provide a better evaluation of the biochar’s performance, a further demonstration in soil or water test experiments should be conducted.

Purpose Market crop waste (MCW) contributes significantly to the quantity of municipal solid waste generated in sub-Saharan Africa. These wastes, however, contain high levels of plant nutrients which can be harnessed through composting to improve soil organic matter and nutrient status of impoverished tropical soils.Method In this work, annual MCWs from two urban markets in Accra, Ghana were characterized by quantifying their seasonal availabilities, primary nutrients, heavy metals concentrations and level of microbial contamination to ascertain their suitability or otherwise for composting.Results Waste generated in the rainy seasons was higher than in the dry seasons. Primary nutrients sequestered in the MCW collected were 211.1 kg N, 1.84 kg P and 89.66 kg K for both markets. Feedstock quality analysis showed heavy metal levels in the MCW were far below the contaminant levels. Moisture content of vegetable and fruit waste was 74.34 - 90.46% and far above the desired level of aerobic composting. Pathogen levels of 5.92 CFU/g E. coli and 5.41 CFU/g Salmonella in cocoyam leaves; 6.27 CFU/g total coliform and 4.74 CFU/g Enterococcus in cabbage were detected and found to be above the maximum contaminant level as per USEPA standard.Conclusion Use of cassava, plantain peduncle and corn husk as bulking agents with vegetable and fruit waste as N, P and K sources should serve as feedstock for good quality compost production.

Purpose Biochar is a carbon-rich coproduct resulting from pyrolyzing biomass. Positive effects on productivity, soil stability, carbon sequestration, soil fertility have been validated by several studies. The aim of the present study is to compare the effect of different rates of biochar “BC TD” (produced from the pyrolysis of seeds of date ‘D’ and "Tomato residue" ‘T’) on the productivity of alfalfa in pots and in the field in comparison with manure, nitrogen fertilizer and biocompost (CP).Method In order to carry out this comparison, alfalfa was cultivated in the same bases and under the same climatic conditions, and the various physiological, growth and productivity parameters were continuously monitored throughout the period of the experiment.Results The manure doses resulted in  better productivity throughout the test period compared to all the treatments tested. For biochar, alfalfa germination results were widely different between field and pots with low germination rate in high doses of biochar which subsequently affected productivity.Conclusion Although the application of high doses of biochar and biocompost decreases productivity and limits all growth parameters but positive results on productivity were noted with the 3% BC treatment in the field, which requires monitoring this dose for prolonged periods in order to properly determine its long-term effects on the various physiological parameters, growth and productivity of alfalfa.

Purpose Rice is a staple food in Nigeria, but its cultivation faces constraints of soil acidity, low soil fertility and rainfall variability. Research has shown that biochar has the potential to alleviate the effects of these conditions, but responses vary depending on soil and climate factors. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different application rates of rice husk biochar on upland rice growth and yield.Method Two field experiments were conducted within two years in Kwara State located in the southern Guinea savanna agroecological zone of Nigeria. Four biochar rates (0, 5, 15 and 25 t/ha) were used and replicated thrice in a randomised complete block design set up on three soils in three locations. Agronomic data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) to quantify variations in treatment responses, followed by a separation of significantly different means using the least significant difference (LSD) at p≤ 0.05.Results Better growth was recorded in the first year compared to the second year. Percentage decreases of 9.4 and 11.4% were recorded in plant height (12 weeks after planting), and tiller productivity from the first to the second year, respectively. Biochar amendment significantly (p≤0.01) improved rice seedling emergence (34.6%) and seed weight (5.8%) relative to control. The highest grain yield of 5.24 t/ha was recorded under 15 t/ha biochar application rate compared to 2.37 t/ha under control.Conclusion The application rate of 15 t/ha increased rice yield by 55.0% relative to the control, whereas at 25 t/ha the growth and yield were reduced.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different organic residues and beneficial microorganisms on the growth and yield of pepper (Capsicum baccatum).Method Cattle manure (CM), earthworm humus (EH), and sugarcane filter cake (SFC) were enriched with Beijerinckia indica subsp. indica and Cunninghamella elegans spp. Chemical analysis revealed that CM had the highest contents of nitrogen (N), magnesium (Mg), carbon (C), and organic matter. The potential of CM contribution to the growth and yield of pepper was assessed using a pot experiment.Results Enriched CM, which had the highest values of N, and Mg, linearly increased both morphological and nutritional parameters, enhancing plant growth and accumulation of N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in both the shoots and roots of pepper.Conclusion The enrichment of organic wastes with B. indica and C. elegans could be an alternative biological strategy to improve the quality of these wastes. Particularly, the enriched CM contributed to the increase in pepper growth.

Purpose Paddy (rice) straw burning is an alarming issue all over India because of its huge volume generated every year. Combine harvesting results in generation of about 5-7 ton/hectare paddy straw residue that needs to be managed with in a small period (3 weeks) before sowing of wheat crop.Method Six microbial decomposer preparations including four commercial (C-1 to C-4) and two in house culture (Delftia, Microbial consortium) have been evaluated at four different sites of Central Plain Zone of Punjab during 2018-19 and 2019-20. The microbial formulations were sprayed on the surface retained paddy straw and straw samples were evaluated after 30 days of spray for percent decrease in lignin and C/N ratio.  Result A location and decomposer specific decrease in lignin (%) and C/N ratio during paddy straw surface retention trials was observed, without any significant change in wheat yield. In control (without spray), percent decrease in lignin was in the range of 2.11 to 13.57. Whereas, with microbial sprays, it varies from 7.51 to 35.79. At Ludhiana, maximum decrease in C/N ratio was obtained by C-1 and C-2 (55%), While, at Kapurthala maximum decrease in C/N ratio was obtained by Delftia (71.25%) followed by C-3 (62.62%).Conclusion The variable trend in delignification as well as C/N ratio during surface retained paddy straw trials, highlights that with microbial decomposer application the surface retained paddy straw is not appreciably decomposed in the provided window period of 3 weeks between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing.