Abstract
The study was to assess the: (i) effect of human urine and other organic inputs on cabbage growth, yield, nutrient uptake, N-use efficiency, and soil chemical characteristics; (ii) economic returns of the use of urine and/or other organic inputs as a source of fertiliser for cabbage production. To meet these objectives, participatory field trials were conducted at Dzorwulu, Accra. Four different treatments (Urine alone, Urine + dewatered faecal sludge (DFS), Urine + poultry droppings (PD), NPK (15-15-15) + PD) were applied in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) with soil alone as control. Each treatment was applied at a rate of 121 kg·N·ha−1 corresponding to the Nitrogen requirement of cabbage in Ghana. Growth and yield parameters, plant nutrient uptake, and soil chemical characteristics were determined using standard protocols. There were no significant differences between treatments for cabbage head weight, or total and marketable yields. However, unmarketable yield from NPK + PD was 1 to 2 times higher (p < 0.05) than those from Urine + PD, Urine + DFS, and Urine alone. Seasonal effect on yields was also pronounced with higher (p < 0.001) cabbage head weight (0.95 kg) and marketable yields (12.7 kg·ha−1) in the dry season than the rainy season (0.42 kg and 6.27 kg·ha−1). There was higher (p < 0.005) phosphorous uptake in cabbage from Urine + PD treated soil than those from other treatments. Nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) uptake in the dry season was significantly higher than the rainy season. Soils treated with Urine + DFS and Urine + PD were high in total N content. Urine + PD and Urine + DFS treated soils gave fairly high yield than PD + NPK with a net gain of US$1452.0 and US$1663.5, respectively. The application of urine in combination with poultry droppings has the potential to improve cabbage yields, nutrient uptake, and soil nitrogen and phosphorous content.
Highlights
More people are living today in urban as opposed to rural areas
The pH of dewatered faecal sludge (DFS) (5.4) and Poultry droppings (PD) (6.8) were low compared to Urine (7.9 and 8.5)
The results showed that, in one cropping cycle, it would cost a farmer US$370.4 to crop a hectare of cabbage using NPK + PD to get a yield of 7.2 t·ha−1 of fresh marketable cabbage and revenue of US$2925.4
Summary
More people are living today in urban as opposed to rural areas. Over the span of nine decades since 1900, the global urban population increased rapidly from 2.4 million to 2.9 billion in 2000 and is expected to rise to 5 billion by 2030 [1]. The rapid population increase is expected to take place mostly in urban areas of developing countries whose population is likely to rise from about. 2 billion to 4 billion in 2030, averaging 2.4 percent per year [1]. Absolute and relative growth in urban poverty and food insecurity are becoming a challenge for all people in urban areas. Like most cities in developing countries, Ghana’s capital city Accra is experiencing rapid population growth and urbanization. The population of Accra has increased from about 300,000 in 1960
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