Abstract
At present, excessive waste production makes it necessary to carry out research aimed to minimize the problems arising from waste generation and inadequate disposal. In this sense, this study aimed to analyze plant growth, fruit production, antioxidative enzyme activities and organic solute contents in fruits of Capsicum chinense Jacq. plants (BRS Moema cultivar) growing in substrates with different concentrations of municipal organic solid waste (MW) or shrimp waste (SW) under greenhouse conditions. A completely randomized design was used with seven treatments (control; MW at 50, 100 and 200% of recommendation; and SW also at 50, 100 and 200%) and five replications. The MW and SW were mixed with the soil. When plants already had fruits, 122 days after sowing (DAS), shoot height, stem diameter and number of leaves were determined, and 134 DAS, the visibly ripe fruits were collected and stored at -20 °C for subsequent biochemical analysis. The MW and SW provided a linear increase in the parameters of shoot height, stem diameter and number of leaves. The numbers of fruits in the treatments were quite variable, but it can be concluded that the MW 200 and SW 100 treatments provided higher fruit production. The best results for the activities of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) in the fruits occurred in the MW 100 and SW 200 treatments. Both provided an increase in CAT and reductions in APX and GPX, which can contribute to greater postharvest life of C. chinense Jacq. fruits. In relation to soluble protein and carbohydrate contents, the MW 100 and SW 100 treatments did not contribute to their increase; in the other residue concentrations, the results were variable. However, considering all parameters analysed in this study, the most suitable treatments would be MW 100 and SW 100. Therefore, the results demonstrate the susceptibility of using substrates with MW and SW in the cultivation of C. chinense Jacq. plants.
Highlights
Excessive waste production and the difficulty to dispose of it properly have become big problems today that threaten environmental quality
Both provided an increase in CAT and reductions in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), which can contribute to greater postharvest life of C. chinense Jacq. fruits
Considering that more than 50% of Brazilian municipal solid waste consists of organic matter (Ministério do Meio Ambiente [MMA], 2012), the recycling of these residues would reduce significantly the volume to be disposed in the soil, reducing pollution resulting from the disposal in dumps while providing increased lifespan of the landfills (Worrell & Vesilind, 2012)
Summary
Excessive waste production and the difficulty to dispose of it properly have become big problems today that threaten environmental quality. Solid waste is deposited on the ground, in open places, without any control. This inadequate form of waste disposal causes numerous problems of an environmental and social nature that can be minimized through reuse and/or recycling of waste (Jacobi & Besen, 2011). Organic solid waste has a high potential for use in agriculture. These residues, which are rich in organic matter and nutrients, can be used in the composition of agricultural substrates used in plant cultivation, improving the quality of the substrates and contributing to better plant growth (Abreu-Júnior, Boaretto, Muraoka, & Kiehl, 2005). Considering that more than 50% of Brazilian municipal solid waste consists of organic matter (Ministério do Meio Ambiente [MMA], 2012), the recycling of these residues would reduce significantly the volume to be disposed in the soil, reducing pollution resulting from the disposal in dumps while providing increased lifespan of the landfills (Worrell & Vesilind, 2012)
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