Effectiveness of crop‐waste compost on a Eutric Ferralsol

Abstract

AbstractLack of environmentally safe handling of garbage is a growing problem in urban sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Composting the garbage for soil‐fertility management presents an opportunity for reducing the risks of environmental pollution. This study aimed at evaluating the agronomic effectiveness and nutrient‐utilization efficiency of urban market crop‐waste compost on a Eutric Ferralsol. The study was conducted in central Uganda with treatments including compost applied at 0, 5, and 10 t ha–1 (d.w. basis); inorganic N fertilizer at rates of 0, 40, and 80 kg ha–1 and inorganic P fertilizer at 0, 9, and 18 kg ha–1. Maize (Zea mays L.), variety Longe 4 was used as the test crop. The nutrient quality of the compost was medium with total N of 0.9% and total P of 0.45%. Compost significantly increased plant height, LAI, stover weight, and grain yield; however, there were no significant differences between the 5 and 10 t ha–1 rates. Nitrogen also had a significant effect on LAI and stover yield, though there was no significant difference between the 40 and 80 kg ha–1 rates. Likewise, P increased plant height with no significant difference between the 9 and 18 kg ha–1 rates. Mineral N at 40 kg ha–1 led to the highest increase in N uptake by plants (76%) above the control. Nitrogen‐ and P‐utilization efficiencies for the 5 t ha–1 compost rate were more than twice that of the 10 t ha–1 rate. The highest P‐utilization efficiency (69%) was obtained where 9 kg ha–1 P was applied with 40 kg ha–1 N, while the highest N‐utilization efficiency (48%) was obtained with the 5 t ha–1 compost applied together with N at 40 kg ha–1. From the above studies, it is clear that effectiveness of the 5 t ha–1 compost rate is the most promising.