Banana Residues Research Articles

Agricultural Wastes – A Promising Source for Biogas Production in Developing Countries of the Tropical and Subtropical Regions

Most of the so called developing countries are located in tropical and/or sub-tropical regions whilst in contrast, most of the developed countries are in the temperate climate zones. It is expected that a huge increase in the future global energy consumption will be caused by the demand of the developing countries. Caused by the favourable climate conditions in tropical and/or sub-tropical regions the average productivity of biomass is 4 – 5 times higher than that of biomass grown in the temperate regions. Many of the developing countries today are agricultural and agro-industrial countries producing huge amounts of agricultural residues and wastes that can be used as source for energy generation. It is estimated that if only all process-based agricultural residues alone would be used, they could contribute between 25 % and 40 % of the total primary energy demand in such regions [1]. Until now, the huge amount of agricultural waste generated each year in developing countries is a headache for farmers, who are obliged to get rid of it. Open field burning and improper disposal are omnipresent in many regions and pollute the environment. Converting such waste into bioenergy such as biogas by using anaerobic digestion technologies represents an alternative treatment with a promising potential. Such treatment prevents pollution, is producing valuable and climate friendly energy and will contribute to nutrient recovery by using the digestate as fertilizer. The paper will introduce some of the most promising agricultural residues in tropical and subtropical regions which can be used as substrates or co-substrates for biogas production. Results of a research project carried out in Costa Rica will be used as a case study to show the potential of two of the major agricultural residues (pineapple and banana residues) as sources for biogas production. The opportunities and prospects for the dissemination and implementation of new and more developed technologies to improve the efficiency of the technologies will be shown.

EVALUATION OF STABILITY AND MATURITY OF COMPOSTED RICE STRAW, OLIVE POMACE AND SOME AGRICULTURAL WASTES

Composting technique is considered as one of the environmentlly friendly methods used for recycling the excess residues of rice straw ( RS) and solving the environmental problems of olive pomace (OP) by-product of the olive oil industry. For this purpose, three compost piles were made from mainly rice straw, different ratios of olive pomace and some agricultural wastes viz. tomato hallum, banana residues and farmyard manure to evaluate the stability and maturity of composted materials during 90-day composting period. The first pile (A) was made of 60% RS+10% OP+10% tomato hallum+10% banana residues+10% farmyard manure, the second pile (B) wase made of 50% RS +20% OP+10% tomato hallum+ 10% banana residues+ 10% farmyard manure while the third pile (C) was made from 40% RS + 30% OP10% tomato hallum+ 10% banana residues+ 10% farmyard manure. Representative compost samples were taken after 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days of the composting process. The results revealed that slight increase in temperature occurred through the first 2-3 days of composting to reach the maximum values at 30 days of composting (thermophilic stage). All the composts showed a more pronounced increase in pH, EC, bulk density and total nitrogen, while total organic carbon significantly declined with composting progress. Consequentially, the C/N ratios became narrowed during composting process where they reached 18.80 for pile C. At maturity stage, the greatest values of humification parameters (Humification index, Humification degree and Humification rate) were obtained by pile C followed by pile B. Meanwhile, the ratio of NH4+/NO3- as an indicator to nitrification process, Extinction coefficient (E4/E6) as well as CO2 rate decreased gradually to reach the minimum values. Finally, the highest values of germination index (92.22 and 95.39%) were achieved with pile C for cress and barley seeds, respectively

Effect of torrefaction pre-treatment on physical and combustion characteristics of biomass composite briquette from rice husk and banana residue

Biomass is an alternative renewable energy sources that can generates energy almost same as fossil fuel. The depletion sources of fossil fuel had increase the potential use of biomass energy. In Malaysia, rice husk and banana residues are abundantly left and not treated with proper disposal method which later may contribute to environment and health problems. Thus the development of biomass composite briquette made from rice husk and banana residue is one of the potential ways to reduce the problems and hence may contribute the better way to treat the waste by recycling the waste into a form of biomass product. The biomass briquettes are used for thermal applications because it can produce a complete combustion as it has a consistent quality and high burning efficiency. However, the quality of the biomass briquette can be added by application of torrefaction pre-treatment method. Torrefaction is a thermal method that can produce more high quality of the briquette with high calorific value, high fixed carbon content, low volatile matter, and low ash content. This study was conducted to assess the physical and combustion characteristic of the biomass briquette from rice husk and banana residue which was produced through torrefaction process. The biomass briquette, were densified by using hot press machine with temperature of 180°C for about 30 minutes. The briquette produce are 150 μm in particle size with varies in mixing ratio of rice husk to banana residue which are 100:0, 80:20 and 60:40. After the briquetting process, the biomass fuel briquettes have been undergoes parameter testing and the data have been analysed. Result showed the best biomass briquette is developed from torrefied rice husk and banana residue mixed at ratio of 60:40. Moreover, SEM image reveal that torrefaction pre-treatment has shrinkage the fibres size which confirming the thermal stability of the briquette.

Obtaining Bioethanol through Hydrolytic Treatment of Agro-Industrial Banana Residues

The banana is a food of great importance and it is consumed in almost the entire world. However, its harvest generates large quantities of mostly lignocellulosic waste, which can be used for the production of biofuels such as bioethanol. In this work, the potential for bioethanol production from agro-industrial plantain crop residues was evaluated with different operating conditions. A 24 experimental design was used, having as study variables: time of hydrolysis, pH of hydrolysis, concentration time, and fermentation time. The samples used were scraps consisting of a mixture of stems, leaves, and banana peels. The bioethanol obtained was characterized by physicochemical properties such as density, refractive index, and FTIR. As a result, it was obtained that the volume of bioethanol represented higher yields; using NaOH as a hydrolyzing agent, with hydrolysis time of 30 minutes, high fermentation time, and low concentrations. The chemical characterization of banana agro-industrial waste indicated that, the raw material could be considered as a potential source for bioethanol production, since it has a high content of cellulose.

Effects of Banana Compost on Growth, Development and Productivity of Sorghum bicolor Cultivar (Tabat)

The research was targeted to determine the effect of organic fertilizer prepared from the composting of banana waste on growth, development, morphologically and productivity of Sorghum bicolor ‘cv (Tabat)’. In order to convert huge of banana residues parts wastes and to reduce the chemicals fertilizers pollution, the banana compost was used on Sorghum bicolor in this study. This type of organic fertilizer detected magnitude of morphological changes on different parts of the plant used in this experiments. The other uses of the banana compost were the improvement of texture, structure, water holding capacity, permeability and productivity of the soil. The experiments were conducted at the green house of the Department of Biological and Biotechnology and Environmental Science, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan. In these experiments banana compost was used at different levels (10g , 20g and 30g) for each 500g of clay soil, which were equivalents to 1 ton, 2 tons and 3 tons per fedan respectively. Two controls, control virgin soil and control with recommended nitrogen level were used. The results showed that the treatments with 3 tons banana compost level had its significant ( P < 0.05) over the both controls with a maximum growth rate in the plants morphology as well as length of the plants of 11.9cm. and the mass productivity of one gram.

Fruit Waste and Sugarcane Bagasse as Potential Natural Resources of Mineral and Lipophilic Substances

The objectives of this study were to explore alternatives for using fruit waste and sugarcane bagasse as important sources for new products and potential applications in the food industry. Fast foods are part of modern life, as well as sources for producing biofuels based on biomass. The mineral content and compounds of nutritional interest, such as lipophilic substances, were determined in fruit waste (orange peels, passion fruit, bananas, grapes) and sugarcane bagasse. Significant differences were found in the samples tested, where minerals, such as potassium, nitrogen, zinc and iron, were found in fruit residues (bananas, oranges, passion fruit) and sugarcane bagasse. Banana residues were the most important source of minerals, followed by orange peels. Gas chromatography mass spectrography (GC-MS) analyses of the lipophilic fractions obtained from the plant residues revealed the presence of mostly saturated (palmitic, stearic) and unsaturated (oleic and linoleic) fatty acids, as well as other nutritionally valuable compounds, such as antioxidants (flavones in orange residues). The residues studied here can be used for future research to optimize pretreatment and hydrolysis of biomass for bioethanol production.

Determination of Cellulose Crystallinity of Banana Residues Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis

Crystallinity is an important property of lignocellulosic biomass due to its significant effect on acid/enzymatic hydrolysis. Normally, physicochemical analysis, such as powder X-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance, is used to reveal the crystallinity content. However, these analytical methods are expensive and laborious. In this context, methods that rapidly predict the crystallinity are important, even if used only for screening calibration. Thus, we intend to show the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and chemometrics to replace reference methods in crystallinity determination. The results show that NIRS can be used to determine crystallinity in banana residues by the use of partial least squares regression, providing good coefficients of determination (R2cal,pred > 0.82), low relative errors (< 14%) and good range error ratio (≥ 7.7). The interpretation of the regression coefficients, multivariate figures of merit and external validation results indicate a strong relationship between the NIR spectrum and crystallinity in banana samples.

EFFECT OF RICE STRAW COMPOST ENRICHED WITH POTASSIUM RICH MATERIALS ON DRY MATTER AND WATER CONSUMPTION OF BARLEY UNDER DROUGHT CONDITIONS

The main objective of this research was to study the effect of rice straw compost as a source of potassium on the barley dry matter under drought conditions using three ratios of the value of water consumption (100%, 80% and 60%). A pot experiment was conducted using loamy and sandy soils in the greenhouse of Soil Sci. Dept., Fac. of Agric., Ain Shams University. The suggested treatments can be summarized as control (without compost addition), (rice straw compost), (1% rice straw + 1% banana compost), ( 1% rice straw + 1% vegetables compost) and (1% rice straw + potassium dissolving bacteria (PDB)). The obtained results show the value of time growth for barley under control,1% rice straw compost (RSC), 1% RSC+ 1% banana residues compost (BRC), (1% RSC+ 1% vegetables residues compost (VRC) and 1% RSC+ potassium dissolving bacteria (PDB), respectively. The maximum potassium availability of the loamy soil were 2.96, 3.58, 3.38, 3.2 and 3.35 meq/l at 475, 494, 508, 457 and 350 hour, respectively. The corresponding figures for the sandy soil were 475, 375, 550, 575 and 425 hour producing the maximum potassium of 0.41, 0.58, 1.71, 1.08 and 1.06 meq/l at different time growth under rice straw compost treatments. The effect both water consumption and its potassium content on barley dry matter was significant and clear effect noticeable by using the treatment of rice straw compost (RSC)+bananas residues compost (BRC) on water consumption under 100 and 60%.

Poblaciones de lombrices bajo seis estrategias de manejo de malezas en una plantación de banano.

Six weed managementstrategies were established in with banana plantation; in SanPablo, a farm located in the Atlantic region of Costa Rica.Since then, earthworm counts have been performed at regularintervals. Weed management strategies consisted of: 1-unweeded control. 2- Hand weeded control at monthlyintervals. 3- Glyphosate (Ranger Plus-680 g/kg; at 0.687%w/v) applications at eight week intervals. 4- Paraquat(Gramoxone-200 g/l, at 0.75% v/v) at monthly intervals. 5-Glufosinate (Finale-150 g/l, at 1% v/v) applications at eightweek intervals. 6- Monitored treatment, depending ondetected weeds, only in the area of maximum weed-cropinterference. Earthworms were counted, at each samplingtime, from four 15625 cm3 soil samples of each plot. Sampleswere taken from different microhabitats, including soilcovered with Paspalum conjugatum; soil covered withPanicum zizanoides; soil covered with banana residues(leaves, pseudo-stems) and bare soil. Soil samples from sitescovered with banana residues or Paspalum conjugatumshowed the highest earthworm counts, followed by soilcovered with Panicum zizanoides and bare soil. A directeffect of weed management strategies on earthworm numberhas not been detected.

Simulation of Dilute Acid Hydrolysis of Banana Waste for Ethanol Production: Comparison Between the Use of Fruits, Peel and Pseudostem

Banana waste has been used to produce bioethanol with the goal of developing a low-cost, sustainable production method. Brazil, which annually generates large amounts of agro industrial waste, has high technological potential in this area. The pseudostem, peel and the fruit can be used and studies are focused on the hydrolysis because it has been proven that this step involves the highest production cost. The goal of this study is to evaluate the acid hydrolysis of banana residues using simulation. It was used the Aspen HYSYS® software simulating the heating, hydrolysis, neutralization and cooling process, from experimental data previously evaluated. A conversion reactor was used and the reactions of cellulose to glucose and that to the hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were implemented. Calculation was made in order to obtain the conversion for the optimum conditions of previous work: 120°C, 2 % (weight) H2SO4 and residence time in reactor of 15 min. For these conditions a conversion of cellulose to glucose of 36 % can be obtained when pseudostem was used. Tests were performed with this value for three residues mentioned and then the conversion was increased gradually to the maximum value (100 %). Even known that the conversion of lignocellulosic residues is around 40-60 %, we aimed to corroborate the results previously obtained in the laboratory with data that have not been evaluated experimentally, as the energetic condition of the process and HMF production. The analysis of the energy consumption per sugar produced demonstrated that the hydrolysis of banana fruit residue (pulp) is unattractive as shown experimentally. This behaviour is independent of the increased conversion process. For hydrolysis of the pseudostem was observed that there is a decrease in the amount of energy required in respect of glucose produced to near 80 %, from which the gains with increasing conversion are few.

Potential of visible-near infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics for analysis of some constituents of coffee and banana residues

Banana (stalk, leaf, rhizome, rachis and stem) and coffee (leaf and husks) residues are promising feedstock for fuel and chemical production. In this work we show the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and multivariate analysis to replace reference methods in the characterization of some constituents of coffee and banana residues. The evaluated parameters were Klason lignin (KL), acid soluble lignin (ASL), total lignin (TL), extractives, moisture, ash and acid insoluble residue (AIR) contents of 104 banana residues (B) and102 coffee (C) residues from Brazil. PLS models were built for banana (B), coffee (C) and pooled samples (B+C). The precision of NIR methodology was better (p<0.05) than the reference method for almost all the parameters, being worse for moisture. With the exception of ash (B and C) and ASL (C) content, which was predicted poorly (R2<0.80), the models for all the analytes exhibited R2>0.80. The range error ratios varied from 4.5 to 16.0. Based on the results of external validation, the statistical tests and figures of merit, NIR spectroscopy proved to be useful for chemical prediction of banana and coffee residues and can be used as a faster and more economical alternative to the standard methodologies.

Banana tree residues as base substrate for thein vitrocultivation ofCoprinus comatus

Coprinus comatus is an edible and lignolitic fungus which has presented great potential for commercial use due to its easy development in the different residues, such as banana tree leave. Thus, the mycelial growth of Coprinus comatus in culture media based on leaves of Thap-Maeo, Prata-Ana, Pelipita and Caipira banana tree cultivars, supplemented with 20% of wheat, soy and rice brans, was evaluated. 7 mm-wide discs of CCO 01/01 strain of C. comatus were inoculated in the middle of Petri dishes containing culture medium, inside a laminar flow chamber. Next, the dishes were arranged totally at random inside an incubator at 25 oC. The daily measurements of the mycelial growth began after 24 hours, until one of the treatments reached the borders of the Petri dish. According to the results obtained, we verified that there was not effect of the kind of supplementation for culture media based on Thap-Maeo, Prata-Ana and Pelipita; the best growth averages for culture media based on Caipira were provided by wheat and rice brans. Therefore, banana residues may be a viable and ecologically correct choice for the cultivation of C. comatus, especially for Thap-Maeo and Prata Ana sorts, which provided the best growth averages, regardless of the supplementation used.

High valuable compounds from the unripe peel of several Musa species cultivated in Madeira Island (Portugal)

The lipophilic extractives of the unripe peel of ten banana cultivars belonging to the Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana species (namely ‘Giant Cavendish’, ‘Chinese Cavendish’, ‘Grand Nain’, ‘Gruesa’, ‘Williams’, ‘Ricasa’, ‘Eilon’, ‘Zelig’, ‘Dwarf Red’ and ‘Silver’) were studied by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The extractives content were in the range of 2–3% with substantially higher values for ‘Silver’ and ‘Dwarf Red’ (5.7 and 10.7% respectively). Sterols and fatty acids were the major families of compounds identified, with respectively 55.1–87.5% and 10.6–43.2% of total of lipophilic components. Cycloeucalenone was the main component identified in ‘Williams’ and ‘Dwarf Red’, with abundances ranging from 806 to 9453mgKg−1 of dry unripe peels, respectively. The identification of high contents of valuable compounds, can open new strategies for the valorization of the studied banana residues and particularly of those from ‘Dwarf Red’ followed by ‘Silver’ and ‘Ricasa’, as potential sources of high-value phytochemicals.

Soil turnover of crop residues from the banana (Musa AAA cv. Petite-Naine) mother plant and simultaneous uptake by the daughter plant of released nitrogen

Banana (Musa sp.) residues contain two thirds of the plant nitrogen (N) content at harvest which may represent a large N source for the daughter plant and contribute to reducing fertilizer rates. Our aim was to assess the decomposition kinetics of above- and below-ground banana residues, and to determine the uptake of the released N by the daughter plant. Residue decomposition was analyzed under laboratory and field conditions, and plant N uptake was evaluated in the field using 15N-labelled above-ground residues. The decomposition kinetics was interpreted with a simulation model. In the laboratory, residue decomposition showed an immobilization phase followed by remineralization. The immobilization phase was longer and remineralization was smaller for roots due to their higher C:N ratio and lignin content. The model satisfactorily described both phases and the effect of the residue C:N ratio. Experimental and model results indicated that root residues would be a minor N source for the daughter plant. In the field, above-ground residues decomposed according to first order kinetics. Residue half-life was 2d in the laboratory and 32d in the field, which was due to poorer soil–residue contact in the field. At the time of harvest of the daughter plant, 39% of residue N was recovered in the plant, 54% in the topsoil, and 3% in the remaining residues. About 4% of residue N was probably lost by leaching. Nitrogen derived from residues represented 19% (14kgNha−1) of N in bunches of the daughter plant and 18% (39kgha−1) of the whole plant N. Our study showed that above-ground residue N was an effective N source for the daughter plant, with a good overlap between the period of N release and that of greatest plant demand which reduced the risk of N leaching.

Overwinter Mineralization of a Biosolid and Composted Banana Residues in Humid Mediterranean Conditions

The objectives of this work were to study nitrogen (N) release from a biosolid and a compost of banana wastes. The overwinter N decomposition was evaluated as the uptake by a cereal cover crop and the in situ losses from buried bags in a loamy sand (site 1) and in a calcareous silty clay loam (site 2). Organic materials were applied in two rates as sludge (1, 3.75 Mg ha−1; 2, 7.5 Mg ha−1) and compost (1, 3.29 Mg ha−1; 2, 6.58 Mg ha−1). Immediately after their incorporation in October, barley was planted as a cover crop. Its growth was negatively affected by the slow drainage of the silty clay loam, leading to greater N concentration in site 1 (21.18 g kg−1 of barley versus 14.35 g kg−1 of barley in site 2). Yet only 10% of the added N was intercepted by the cover crop in the fast-draining site 1. The ash-rich compost (N: 21.1 g kg−1; ash: 467 g kg−1) was comparable to the control. Within site 2, the biosolid treatments had a residual effect on a second barley crop, as N uptake was 1.99–2.13 times that of the control. The approach of in situ loss from bags incorporated in bare soil was repeated in two successive seasons. Nitrogen losses (% input) during the fall and winter months were comparable between sites 31.9 % (site 1) and 28.6 % (site 2). When the N fate was studied during the winter months only, the loss decreased slightly, suggesting the presence of a fraction liable to decomposition overwinter in Mediterranean conditions. Soil nitrate was determined 1 month after the incorporation of the cover crop in late spring. In the first season, only the sludge 2 treatment generated more nitrate than the control, whereas 19 months after the application of the organic products both sludge treatments had a positive effect. The soil properties influenced the amounts of N mineralized with site 1, yielding twice that of site 2. In the fast-draining soils, the presence of an active cover crop overwinter is necessary, while the N level of sludge 1 (164 kg N ha−1) was more acceptable.

ASSESSMENT OF ROLE OF SOME COMPOST AND THEIR RESIDUAL EFFECTS ON PLANTS GROWN IN SANDY AND/OR CALCAREOUS SOIL

This work aims to study the role of two composts made of plant residues and added to calcareous soil from Noubaria to clay soil from Kom Osheem; on wheat yields and nutrient status of grains and straw as well as to study their residual effects on the growth of maize, which was grown after wheat. A pot experiment was carried out in earthenware pots filled with 7 kg of the tested soils; at Soils, Water and Environment Research Inst. (SWERI) -Agric. Res. Center (ARC). It was included two soil types; two sources of composted plant residues(C) of wheat straw or banana residues (zero, 5 and 10 ton/fed) as well as NPK mineral fertilizers (M) (zero ,75% and 100% RD).Some treatments of solo , mixed of (C) with (M) as well as no-fertilization (control) were suggested to achieve this study. Wheat (Triticum aestirum) was planted in winter season, till maturity. In the following summer season maize (Zea mays L) was sown, without any new additions, for 70 days only. The obtained results indicated that: Weights of grains and straw of wheat as well as dry weight of whole maize plants were positively responded to manure applications with no–significant differences between the effects of the two used composts in case of wheat and very slight differences in case of maize plants. These responses, to manure applications, were higher in clay soil than that in calcareous one, viz calcareous soil needed to more compost application than clay soil. Application of 10 ton compost /fed associated with 75% RD of NPK mineral fertilizers (10C+75%M) gave the highest weights. N, P, K, Fe, Mn and Zn uptake by wheat components and whole maize plants revealed the same trends mentioned above.

Lipophilic Extracts from Banana Fruit Residues: A Source of Valuable Phytosterols

The chemical composition of the lipophilic extracts of unripe pulp and peel of banana fruit 'Dwarf Cavendish' was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fatty acids, sterols, and steryl esters are the major families of lipophilic components present in banana tissues, followed by diacylglycerols, steryl glucosides, long chain fatty alcohols, and aromatic compounds. Fatty acids are more abundant in the banana pulp (29-90% of the total amount of lipophilic extract), with linoleic, linolenic, and oleic acids as the major compounds of this family. In banana peel, sterols represent about 49-71% of the lipophilic extract with two triterpenic ketones (31-norcyclolaudenone and cycloeucalenone) as the major components. The detection of high amounts of steryl esters (469-24405 mg/kg) and diacylglycerols (119-878 mg/kg), mainly present in the banana peel extract, explains the increase in the abundance of fatty acids and sterols after alkaline hydrolysis. Several steryl glucosides were also found in significative amounts (273-888 mg/kg), particularly in banana pulp (888 mg/kg). The high content of sterols (and their derivatives) in the 'Dwarf Cavendish' fruit can open new strategies for the valorization of the banana residues as a potential source of high-value phytochemicals with nutraceutical and functional food additive applications.

The role of “effective microorganisms” in the composting of banana (Musa ssp.) residues

Abstract“Effective microorganisms” (EM) are a poorly defined mixture of supposedly beneficial microorganisms that are claimed to enhance microbial turnover in compost and soil. In Costa Rica, EM are used to produce organic compost (bokashi) from banana residues (Musa ssp.). Given the scarcity of scientific data about the effects of EM on the mineralization of plant residues, this study aimed at investigating the effects of EM addition on the decomposition of banana residues during Bokashi production. To this end, the following non‐EM treatments were compared to EM Bokashi: Bokashi produced with water (W), with molasses (M) as an EM additive, and with sterilized EM (EMst). Subsequently, the effects of the resulting Bokashi treatments on the growth of young banana plants were evaluated. Compared with non‐EM controls, the effect of EM on the mineralization of banana material was negligible. Dry‐matter losses of the composts with different EM treatments were similar, with about 78% over 5 weeks. Ergosterol concentration was highest in EM Bokashi (77 µg (g dry soil)–1) and lowest in EMst Bokashi (29 µg (g dry soil)–1). Microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) and microbial biomass nitrogen (Nmic) were both lowest in EM (Cmic = 3121 µg g–1; Nmic = 449 µg g–1), while Cmic was highest in Bokashi produced with molasses (3892 µg g–1) and Nmic was highest in EMst (615 µg g–1). Treatment effects on adenylate concentrations and adenylate energy charge were negligible. Application of all Bokashi variants to young banana plants significantly increased shoot growth under greenhouse conditions compared to plants grown in a control soil without amendments. However, these effects were similar for all Bokashi treatments, even if EM Bokashi increased the K concentrations in banana leaves significantly compared to Bokashi produced with EMst and the control. Bokashi produced with only molasses and EM Bokashi decreased the number of root nematodes under greenhouse conditions compared to the control. Overall, the results confirmed the expected influence of composting on the degradation of organic material and the effect of compost application on plant growth. Hower, under the conditions of this study, EM showed no special effects in this, except for increasing the K concentrations in the leaves of young banana plants.

Chemical changes under aerobic composting and nutrient supplying potential of banana residue compost

AbstractIn anticipation of the Philippines being a major producer of organic bananas, this study was conducted to provide a quantitative basis for certain practices in organic farming. The nutrient supplying capacity of banana residues in combination with leguminous materials and chicken manure was investigated in composting studies. Changes in the chemical composition of ten formulations of banana residue-based compost involving leguminous plants (Sesbania rostrata, Flemingia macrophylla, Arachis hypogea) and chicken manure were analyzed periodically during a composting period of 16 weeks. Results showed that combinations of banana residues (BnR) and chicken manure or leguminous plants were highly decomposed compared to untreated BnR. The use of leguminous plants and/or chicken manure enhanced the composting process significantly compared to the effect of Bioquick. The compost piles were characterized by increases in pH, total N and total P, and decreases in total K, total carbon and C/N ratio with time. Notably, BnR+chicken manure attained a C/N ratio of 15 at 4 weeks, while the BnR+leguminous materials reached such a low C/N ratio at 8–16 weeks. An incubation study was conducted under greenhouse conditions for 24 weeks. It was designed to follow the dynamics of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) availability in two clay soils (Antipolo and Lipa) amended with five compost formulations (BnR alone, BnR+Sesbania prunings, BnR+Flemingia prunings, BnR+peanut stover and BnR+chicken manure) and with uncomposted banana residue at an application rate of 20 Mg ha−1. Results showed that net N mineralization occurred in soils amended with BnR+chicken manure and BnR+leguminous materials, which had C/N ratios ranging from 12 to 16. Net N immobilization during the earlier period of incubation was observed in uncomposted and composted banana residues with a C/N ratio of 68 and 24, respectively. Significantly higher net P mineralization was obtained only in soils amended with BnR+chicken manure. An abrupt increase in exchangeable K was observed in all treatments 2 weeks after the incorporation of organic residues. Higher available K in pure BnR treatments (uncomposted or composted) exhibits the inherently high K content of banana residues.

Effect of mulching cabbage with banana residues on cabbage yield, soil nutrient and moisture supply, soil biota and weed biomass

Banana (Musa spp.) residues were examined as organic inputs for cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) production in Uganda with respect to yield and soil biological activities. Cabbage, cultivar Copenhagen, was cultivated on a Ferralsol of low inherent fertility, with (15 t ha-1 dw) or without banana residues and hand-weeding. Two additional treatments included application of fertiliser (100 kg N, 50 kg P and 100 kg K ha-1) with weeding and surface mulching with black polythene (no nutrient inputs). Rankings of cabbage yields by management practice were consistent in both seasons, following the order of fertilised + weeded > banana mulched + weeded > plastic mulched > weeded > banana mulched > unmulched + unweeded. Hand-weeding increased yields by 9.3 t ha-1 (fresh weight). Combined banana mulching and hand-weeding resulted in an additional 12.5 t ha-1, but this increase was 15.1 t ha-1 less than that from application of fertiliser. Surface mulching with banana residues was not effective in weed suppression or moisture conservation but increased earthworm population densities. Banana pseudostems decayed more rapidly than leaves, and excluding soil macrofauna from both decaying tissues delayed decomposition. Plastic mulching increased cabbage yields by 14.9 t ha-1 over the unweeded treatment and improved soil moisture status, but this material is not widely available to smallholder farmers in Uganda. Farmers who seek to improve vegetable production can utilise banana residues as nutrient inputs only in combination with effective weeding; although the nutrients applied through banana mulch may not be utilised effectively compared to chemical fertilisers. RÉSUMÉ Les résidus de banane (Musa spp.) ont été examinés comme intrants organiques pour la production des choux (Brassica oleracea L.) en Uganda en relation avec le rendement et les activités biologiques du sol. Le cultivar de chou Copenhagen, a été cultivé sur le Ferralsol de faible fertilité, avec (15 t ha-1) ou sans résidus de banane et le sarclage à la main. Deux traitements additionnels comprenaient l'application des engrais (100kg N, 50 kg P et 100 kg K ha-1) avec sarclage et paillage à la surface avec du polythène blanc (pas d'intrants d'élements nutritifs). L'ordre des rendements des choux par la pratique de gestion étaient consistant dans les deux saisons suivant l'ordre des fertilisants + sarclés> banane paillée + sarclés > plastique paillé >sarclés >banane paillée > non paillé >non sarclé. Le sarclage à la main a augmenté le rendement de 9.3 t ha-1 ( poids frais). La combinaison de la banane paillée et le sarclage à la main a abouti à un rendement additionnel de 12.5 t ha-1, mais cette augmentation était faible de 15.1 t ha-1 par rapport à l'application des engrais. Le paillage à la surface avec les résidus de banane n'a pas été efficace dans la suppression des mauvaises herbes ou la conservation de l'humidité mais a augmenté la densité de la population des vers de terre. Les pseudotiges de banane se décomposaient rapidement plus que les feuilles, et en excluant les macrofaunes du sol de deux tissus décomposant ils ont retardé la décomposition. Le paillage par le plastique a augmenté les rendements des choux dans les traitements non sarclés et ont amélioré l'état d'humidité du sol, cependant ce materiel n'est pas largement disponible chez les agriculteurs en Uganda. Les agriculteurs qui veulent améliorer la production des légumes peuvent utiliser des résidus de banane comme sources d'élements nutritifs seulement en combinaison evec un sarclage efficace, mais les élements nutritifs appliqués par le biais du paillage de banane ne pourraient pas être utilisés effectivement en comparaison des engrais chimiques. (African Crop Science Journal 2001 9(3): 499-506)