Influence of compost prepared from household waste and poultry manure in compost- soil mixtures on the growth and yield of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L)
- 1. Sci. Agri. 13 (3), 2016: 163-167 © PSCI Publications Scientia Agriculturae www.pscipub.com/SA E-ISSN:2310-953X / P-ISSN: 2311-0228 DOI: 10.15192/PSCP.SA.2016.13.3.163167 Influence of compost prepared from household waste and poultry manure in compost- soil mixtures on the growth and yield of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L) Kortei N.K1 ,Quansah C2 1. University of Ghana, Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, Dept. of Nuclear Agric.& Radiation Processing, P.O. Box LG80, Legon, Ghana. 2. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Crop Science Dept., Private Mail Bag, Kumasi, Ghana. Corresponding Author email: [email protected] Paper Information A B S T R A C T Received: 17 June, 2015 Accepted: 19 December, 2015 Published: 20 February, 2016 Citation Kortei NK, Quansah C. 2016. Influence of compost prepared from household waste and poultry manure in compost- soil mixtures on the growth and yield of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L). Scientia Agriculturae, 13(3), 163-167. Retrieved from www.pscipub.com (DOI: 10.15192/PSCP.SA.2016.13.3.163167) Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is an essential leafy vegetable which is often used in salads and other culinary recipes in Ghana. A pot experiment was conducted on a loamy sand soil to study the effect of different compost: soil mixtures on the growth and yield of lettuce. The compost were prepared from household waste and poultry manure in a ratio of 3:1. The compost soil mixtures were 100% compost (T1), 75% compost+25% soil (T2), 50% compost+50% soil (T3), 25% compost+75% soil (T4), 100% soil (control)(T5), poultry manure+soil (T6), mineral fertilizer NPK(15- 15- 15)+soil (T7), mineral fertilizer NPK(15- 15- 15)+compost+soil (T8). The growth parameters studied were plant height, canopy spread, number of leaves per plant and the leaf area. The yield parameters were fresh weight, dry weight and shoot to root ratio. The different treatments had significant (p<0.05) effects on the growth and yield parameters studied. The soil- compost/fertilizer/manure mixtures had variable levels of nutrients. Thus none of them could be ranked as the richest in all nutrients. The soil- compost mixture of 75% soil+ 25 compost gave the overall best while the least was recorded by the control in terms growth and yield. Compost containing mixtures performed better than the control. © 2016 PSCI Publisher All rights reserved. Key words: Lettuce, compost, soil, manure, mineral fertilizer, plant height, canopy spread Introduction The fertility of the soil is central to the sustainability of both natural and managed ecosystems because it is the medium from which terrestrial production emanate (Woomer, 1994). A decline in soil fertility across sub-Saharan Africa is evident and characterised mainly by nutrient mining and soil degradation (Stoorvogel and Smaling, 1990; Hilhorst and Muchena, 2000). Continuous loss of organic matter and removal of nutrients from the soil by plants and other farming activities is a major contributing factor to the low soil fertility and productivity in Ghana. Nutrient input would therefore be required to replenish lost nutrients to sustain high crop yields. Soil fertility is conventionally replenished through the maintenance of soil organic matter (animal source, plant residue, natural vegetation etc) mineral fertilization and accompanying technologies (soil conservation and sound agronomic practices). Organic fertilizers can therefore be used to reduce the amount of toxic compounds (such as nitrates) produced by conventional fertilizers in vegetables like lettuce, hence, improving the quality of leafy vegetables produced as well as human health. Increased consumer awareness of food safety issues and environmental concerns has donated to the development of organic farming over the last few years (Masarirambi et al, 2010; Relf et al., 2002). Consequently, it may be possible to lessen the escalating effects of diseases such as cancer and enhance immunity of humans. Additionally, mineral fertilizers are very expensive and cannot be afforded by most small holder farmers. Waste disposal problem can be tackled at the same time as increasing food security through exploitation of nutrient potential of the ‘wastes’. In Ghana, the problems of waste management is on the increase, because of rising capital costs for plants and equipment, increasing operation and maintenance costs, the rapid spatial and population growth of most urban areas with decreasing coverage levels and the increase level of waste generated, the problem is exacerbated by increasing public
- 2. Sci. Agri.13 (3), 2016: 163-167 164 demand for improved services (Salifu, 2001). Composting which is a thermogenic process of converting heterogeneous organic materials into homogenous stabilized useful breakdown products (Biblingmaier, 1988). It is one of the oldest ways of recycling and a cost effective way of waste disposal (Vogtman and Fecke, 1982). There is therefore an urgent need to consider alternative sources of nutrients for soil fertility improvements. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of compost prepared from household wastes and poultry manure in a soil compost mixture on the growth and yield of lettuce. Materials and Methods Location of experiment This experiment was carried out at the plant house of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in the wet season extending from April to June, 2012. The experimental area falls within the semi deciduous forest zone of Ghana with bimodal rainfall regime with a mean annual total of 1300mm. The wettest months occur from April to June. The dry season is from late November to March. The following treatments at 3 replications were studied Table 1. Compost, soil and inorganic fertilizer treatments Code Composition T1 100% compost T2 75% compost + 25% soil T3 50% compost + 50% soil T4 25% compost + 75% soil T5 100% soil (control) T6 Poultry manure + soil T7 Mineral fertilizer NPK(15- 15- 15) + soil T8 Mineral fertilizer NPK(15- 15- 15) + soil + compost Determination of pH This was done according to procedure outlined by AOAC, (1995). Determination of Mineral elements This was done according to procedure outlined by AOAC, (1995). The soil at the experimental site is loamy sand belonging to the Akroso series (Haplic Acrisol). The chemical properties of the soil are presented below in Table 2. Table 2. Chemical Properties of soil (0 20cm depth) pH 6.99 % C 1.24 % N 0.21 AVP mg/kg 46.0 Exch. K cmol/kg 1.04 Exch. Na cmol/kg 0.516 Exch. Ca cmol/kg 4.20 Exch. Mg cmol/kg 5.20 Organic matter (%) 2.14 Table 3. Nutrient content of treatments at the time of transplanting Treatment pH %C %N Avail. P Mg/kg Exh. K Cmol/kg Exch. Na cmol/kg Exch.Ca Cmol/kg Exch.Mg Cmol/kg %O.M T1 7.85 1.12 0.92 326 3.45 1.36 12.2 9.6 1.93 T2 7.86 0.93 0.78 303 2.09 0.90 11.6 9.4 1.60 T3 7.79 0.46 0.63 266 2.56 0.90 10.4 10.0 0.79 T4 6.99 0.31 0.51 328 1.44 0.77 11.8 6.2 0.53 T5 7.81 0.06 0.21 46 1.04 0.52 4.2 5.7 0.10 Poultrymanure 7.81 0.97 2.03 490 1.54 0.78 5.8 7.2 1.67 N.P.K Enriched Compost 7.78 0.85 3.24 494 5.69 0.62 3.92 5.6 1.47 Seed Sowing and Nursery Practices Variety of lettuce: Great lakes
- 3. Sci. Agri.13 (3), 2016: 163-167 165 Percentage Germination: 85 The seeds were sown in the following 3 different sowing boxes; Sterilized loamy soil A mixture of river sandy soil and loamy soil in a ratio 1:3 Topsoil of nursery loam soil All these were sown using the drill method. These activities were carried out to ensure good germination and emergence of seedlings against the attack of damping off disease. Emergence was observed after 3 weeks of sowing. Seedlings were protected against the unfavorable weather conditions. A wire mesh raised over the seedling box, aided in the hardening of the seedlings and also prevented the destruction of the plants by snails and other animals. Statistical Analysis All data was analysed by ANOVA and the LSD was used to determine the significant difference between the means of measured parameters. The statistical software used was GENSTAT. Results and Discussion Effect of compost application on plant height resulted in varied responses. The mean plant height under the various compost soil mixtures at the end of the 4th week of data collection (Table 4) was in decreasing order of T4>T3>T2>T1>T7T8>T5>T6. Plant height ranged from 22.63cm to 13.67cm . Mean plant height under all compost containing mixtures was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the control and other treatments. The differences as in the case of all the other parameters, could not be explained on the basis of nutrient content. Other growth conditions, such as better aeration, moisture regime contributed by organic matter may account for the observed differences (Masirirambi, 2010). This is coupled with the known beneficial effects of animal manure on physical and chemical properties (Aliyu, 2000) and their ability to supply macro- and trace elements not contained in the inorganic fertilizers (Mbagwu and Ekwealor, 1990). Table 4. The effect of compost on plant height (cm) Soil Mixture Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 T1 7.33 10.07 16.13 20.83 T2 7.40 10.33 16.83 20.97 T3 7.20 9.87 15.23 21.73 T4 6.73 8.83 16.23 22.63 T5 6.23 7.07 9.03 14.00 T6 5.93 6.27 8.30 13.67 T7 6.33 6.37 8.13 17.20 T8 7.00 6.34 10.20 16.07 Mean 6.77 8.14 12.51 18.39 CV(%) 2.0 5.8 5.4 1.5 LSD (5%) 1.14 1.633 1.828 1.554 The mean canopy spread per plant (Table 5) at the end of the 4th week was in decreasing order of T4>T3>T2T1>T8>T7>T5>T6. The compost containing soil mixtures had significantly (P<0.05) greater canopy among the treatments. T6 had the least canopy spread of 16.27cm. There were significant differences (P<0.05). This could also be attributed to the large quantities of available phosphorus and available potassium contained in the chicken manure. Studies by Rao (1991) indicated that the soil could be enhanced with the application of organic material which tends to decompose and release relatively large amounts of nitrogen into the soil before planting each fresh crop to boost yield. The method of application and the quantity of organic fertilizers have effects on crop yield and nutrient uptake. Table 5. The effect of compost on Canopy Spread Soil Mixture Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 T1 7.57 10.67 18.07 31.27 T2 7.43 10.77 19.20 31.30 T3 7.23 9.43 20.73 32.90 T4 7.47 11.97 21.30 36.20 T5 6.83 7.40 14.57 20.97 T6 6.60 7.00 10.27 16.27 T7 6.47 6.83 10.90 21.27 T8 6.60 6.97 12.83 25.63 Mean 7.03 8.88 15.98 26.97 CV(%) 3.0 6.5 7.0 4.4 LSD (5%) 1.472 2.173 6.073 3.687
- 4. Sci. Agri.13 (3), 2016: 163-167 166 The mean leaf area per plant (table 6) showed the leaf area of lettuce leaves to decrease in order of T4>T3>T1>T2>T8>T6>T5>T7. The compost containing soil mixtures had greater leaf area than the control and the other treatments. However, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the leaf area of T5, T6 and T7. Leaf area ranged between 161.7 and 393.8 cm2 for T4 and T7 respectively. The leaf area of T4 was about twice that of T7. Xu et al. (2005) in a study on yield and quality of leafy vegetables grown with organic fertilizers showed that vegetables grown with organic fertilizers grew better and resulted in a higher total yield than those grown with chemical fertilizers. Therefore, the research suggested that vegetables grown with organic fertilizers showed higher growth and yield than those grown with inorganic fertilizers. Table 6. The effect of compost on Leaf Area (cm2 ) Soil Mixture Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 T1 22.9 46.9 159.7 323.0 T2 29.7 37.3 169.5 290.3 T3 29.4 46.0 176.0 329.1 T4 29.1 43.2 187.6 393.8 T5 17.0 21.2 87.8 162.8 T6 14.5 17.9 56.8 166.2 T7 14.8 18.1 50.3 161.7 T8 13.8 17.4 73.5 212.5 Mean 21.4 31.0 120.1 254.9 CV(%) 11.2 16.7 14.9 9.9 LSD (5%) 9.48 15.69 40.99 50.95 The mean number of leaves per plant (Table 7) ranked as T4> T2>T1>T3>T8>T5>T7>T6. There was however no significant difference (P>0.05) in the number of leaves per plant of T5, T6 and T7, T8. The compost containing soil mixtures were however significantly higher than that of the control and other treatments. This observation could be attributed to better supply of nitrogen mineral element during the composting process (Ryckeboer et al, 2003) which enhanced leaf growth conditions for lettuce. Table 7. The effect of compost on Number of leaves Soil Mixture Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 T1 5 6.33 8.33 10.67 T2 5 6.67 8.33 11.33 T3 4.667 7.00 8.00 10.67 T4 5 6.00 8.33 12.67 T5 4.3 5.00 6.67 9.33 T6 4.33 4.67 6.67 8.67 T7 4.0 4.00 6.33 9.33 T8 4.33 4.33 6.67 10.00 Mean 4.58 5.50 7.42 10.33 CV(%) 1.6 6.0 2.6 0.7 LSD (5%) 0.752 0.79 0.946 1.002 The ANOVA shows the different soil compost mixtures to have significantly variable effects on the fresh weight, dry weight and the root /shoot ratio. T3 and T4 recorded the maximum root/shoot ratio of 246.8 and 249.5 respectively. A minimum ratio of 35.5 was recorded for T6. Table 8. The effect of compost on shoot and root yield Soil Mixture Average fresh root weight Average fresh shoot weight T1 11.7 141.2 T2 13.5 171.4 T3 18.6 246.8 T4 16.5 249.5 T5 5.1 60.6 T6 2.3 35.5 T7 1.3 36.2 T8 6.3 110.4 Mean 8.2 131.4 CV(%) 11.2 4.1 LSD (5%) 1.5 8.9 Conclusions There was a significant effect of compost on the growth and yield of lettuce which was a test crop, than the control and other treatments with respect to plant height, canopy spread, number of leaves per plant and leaf area for the growth
- 5. Sci. Agri.13 (3), 2016: 163-167 167 studies, fresh weight, dry weight, shoot to root ratio and the mineral content for the yield studies. T4 a mixture of 25% compost and 75% soil was particularly significant in this regard. In the face of increased human activities resulting in scarcity of land for farming, T4 could be recommended for backyard/balcony vegetable production since this is an efficient utilization of compost. Acknowledgement Authors are grateful to all the technicians of the soil chemistry laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, KNUST, Kumasi. References Aliyu L. 2000. Effect of organic and mineral fertilizers on growth, yield and composition of pepper esculentus L. Moench) in a semi-arid sub-tropical (Capsicum anuum L.). Biol. Agric. Hort., 18: 29-36. Biblingmaier W. 1988. Composting processing in waste management proceedings of a workshop held at Monastery Neveshein (FRG).pp 91. Masarirambi MT, Hlawi MM, Oseni OT, Sibiya TE.2010. Effects of organic fertilizers on the growth, yield, quality and sensory evaluation of red lettuce (Lactuca sativa L). Agric. Biol. J.N.Am., 1(6): 1319- 1324. Mbagwu JSC, EkwealorGC.1990. Agronomic potential of brewer’s spent grains. Biol.Wastes, 34: 335-347. Rao MK. 199). Textbook of Horticulture.University of Madras.Chennai (Madras) India. Relf D, McDoniel A, Tech V.2002. Fertilising the vegetable garden. http://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/Manuers_fertilizers/contents/inorganic_fertilizers.htm (21/08/2008) Ryckeboer J, Mergaert J, Vaes K, Klammer S, De Clercq D, Coosemans J, Insam H, Swings J. 2003. A survey of bacteria and fungi occurring composting and self heating processes. Annals of Microbiology, 53(4), 349- 410. Salifu L. 2001. An integrated waste management strategy for Kumasi in waste composting for urban and peri urban agriculture: In Dreschel, P and Kunze, D. (Eds.). Waste composting for peri urban agriculture: Closing the rural urban nutrient cycle in Sub Saharan Africa. IWMI and FAO.Wallingford, Oxon, U.K. Vogtman H, Fecke K. 198). Nutrient value and utilization of compost in crop production.Agro ecosystem and Environment.27: 471 475. Woomer PL.1994. Effect of organic matter on the fertility of tropical soils. Review paper series No.3. pp. 45 47 Xu HL, Wang R, Xu RY, Mridha MAU, Goyal S.2005. Yield and quality of leafy vegetables grown with organic fertilizations.Acta Hort., 627: 25-33