This study evaluated the effects of water hyacinth compost prepared with different starter cultures on the growth and yield of maize. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted in Kenya from 2011-2012. In the greenhouse experiments, water hyacinth compost was applied to maize plants and various growth parameters were measured over time. Application of water hyacinth compost and diammonium phosphate fertilizer significantly increased plant height, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and root collar diameter compared to the control. In the field experiments, application of water hyacinth compost and diammonium phosphate increased shoot dry weight at tasseling stage compared to the control. However, yield parameters like 100 seed weight and
The aquaponics term derives from the words aquaculture and hydroponics, which by definition, has the meaning of aquatics organisms culture and plant breeding techniques without soil, respectively. This activity has how the main feature the sustainability, once the modality looks for the production with low water consumption and high exploitation of waste generated. The present study had as objective to describe the construction of the aquaponics pilot system. This way, based on the literature and acquired experience during the work, a step-by-step method was established for the assembly of the system. To verify the process efficiency, were analyzed the presence of total and thermotolerants coliforms, counting of facultative mesophiles and quantification of micro and macronutrients in leaves and roots of Xanthosoma sagittifolium. There was no presence of total and thermotolerants coliforms in leaves and roots of X. sagittifolium. In the count of facultative mesophiles the roots presented 6x104 CFU/g and the leaves 1.7x102 CFU/g. In the foliar analysis, 1430mg/kg of Fe was observed in the roots. It was concluded that the pilot project was successfully built and testing can be continued with new plants.
This is an advocacy presentation prepared from the research conducted on Ecological Sanitation and its benefits to agriculture by University of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with Arghyam foundation.
Indian agriculture feels the pain of fatigue of green revolution.
In the past 50 years, the fertilizer consumption exponentially increased from 0.5 (1960’s) to 24 million tonnes (2013) that commensurate with four-fold increase in food grain output (254 million tonnes) In order to achieve a target of 300 million tonnes of food grains and to feed the burgeoning population of 1.4 billion in 2025, the country will require 45 million tonnes of nutrients as against a current consumption level of 23 million tonnes. The sustainable agriculture and precision farming both are the urgent issues and hence the suitable agro-technological interventions are essential (e.g., nano and biotechnology) for ensuring the safety and sustainability of relevant production system.
Soil is precious natural resource equally as important as water and air. The proper use of soil greatly determines the capability of a life-support system.The agriculture era has been changed from resource degrading to resource conserving technologies and practices which will enable help for increasing crop productivity besides maintaining soil health for future generations. Green revolution besides achieving food security, imposes several threats like deterioration of the soil organic carbon stock, decreasing factor productivity, imbalances in NPK and micronutrient use and disparity in fertilizer consumptions etc.
Siderophores are compounds from ancient Greek words, sidero ‘iron’ and phore ‘carriers’ meaning ‘iron carriers’. These are low-molecular-weight iron-chelating compounds, produced by ‘rhizospheric bacteria’ under iron-limited conditions. They are small, high affinity iron chelating compounds secreted by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi etc. Siderophore usually form a stable hexahendate, octahedral complex with Fe3+.
The aquaponics term derives from the words aquaculture and hydroponics, which by definition, has the meaning of aquatics organisms culture and plant breeding techniques without soil, respectively. This activity has how the main feature the sustainability, once the modality looks for the production with low water consumption and high exploitation of waste generated. The present study had as objective to describe the construction of the aquaponics pilot system. This way, based on the literature and acquired experience during the work, a step-by-step method was established for the assembly of the system. To verify the process efficiency, were analyzed the presence of total and thermotolerants coliforms, counting of facultative mesophiles and quantification of micro and macronutrients in leaves and roots of Xanthosoma sagittifolium. There was no presence of total and thermotolerants coliforms in leaves and roots of X. sagittifolium. In the count of facultative mesophiles the roots presented 6x104 CFU/g and the leaves 1.7x102 CFU/g. In the foliar analysis, 1430mg/kg of Fe was observed in the roots. It was concluded that the pilot project was successfully built and testing can be continued with new plants.
This is an advocacy presentation prepared from the research conducted on Ecological Sanitation and its benefits to agriculture by University of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with Arghyam foundation.
Indian agriculture feels the pain of fatigue of green revolution.
In the past 50 years, the fertilizer consumption exponentially increased from 0.5 (1960’s) to 24 million tonnes (2013) that commensurate with four-fold increase in food grain output (254 million tonnes) In order to achieve a target of 300 million tonnes of food grains and to feed the burgeoning population of 1.4 billion in 2025, the country will require 45 million tonnes of nutrients as against a current consumption level of 23 million tonnes. The sustainable agriculture and precision farming both are the urgent issues and hence the suitable agro-technological interventions are essential (e.g., nano and biotechnology) for ensuring the safety and sustainability of relevant production system.
Soil is precious natural resource equally as important as water and air. The proper use of soil greatly determines the capability of a life-support system.The agriculture era has been changed from resource degrading to resource conserving technologies and practices which will enable help for increasing crop productivity besides maintaining soil health for future generations. Green revolution besides achieving food security, imposes several threats like deterioration of the soil organic carbon stock, decreasing factor productivity, imbalances in NPK and micronutrient use and disparity in fertilizer consumptions etc.
Siderophores are compounds from ancient Greek words, sidero ‘iron’ and phore ‘carriers’ meaning ‘iron carriers’. These are low-molecular-weight iron-chelating compounds, produced by ‘rhizospheric bacteria’ under iron-limited conditions. They are small, high affinity iron chelating compounds secreted by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi etc. Siderophore usually form a stable hexahendate, octahedral complex with Fe3+.
Plant need water, air, light, suitable temperature and 17 essential nutrients for growth and development in the right combination. When plant suffers from malnutrition, exhibits symptoms of being unhealthy reliable nutrient recommendations are dependent upon accurate soil tests and crop nutrient calibrations based on extensive field research. An important part of crop production is being able to identify and prevent plant nutrient deficiencies. Optimization of pistachio productivity and quality requires an understanding of the nutrient requirements of the tree, the factors that influence nutrient availability and the methods used to diagnose and correct deficiencies. Several methods for nutritional diagnosis using leaf tissue analysis have been proposed and used, including the critical value (CV), the sufficiency range approach (SRA), and the diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS). de both soil and tissues analysis. Renewed and intensified efforts are in progress to identify nutrient constraints using latest diagnostic tools and managing them more precisely through intervention of geospatial technologies (GPS, GIS etc.). There have been consistent concerns about the relegated fertilizer use efficiency, warranting further the revision of ongoing practices, and adoption of some alternative strategies. Diagnosis of nutrient constraints and their effective management has, therefore, now shifted in favour of INM.
This is another presentation visualizing the work on Ecological Sanitation by University of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with Arghyam Foundation.
Effect of treated domestic wastewater as source of irrigation water and nutri...Premier Publishers
A study was conducted in Morogoro, Tanzania to assess the effect of treated wastewater as an alternative source of irrigation water and nutrients for rice. Wastewater was sourced from a local wastewater Stabilization Ponds and cleaned through a Constructed Wetland. Four treatments namely, (i) Waste water (WW) only (ii) WW + NPK (iii) Tap water only (iv) Tap water + NPK were tested in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replicates. Rice, variety Saro 5 was planted in August 2013.Data was collected on physical-chemical and biological qualities of the WW, and soils, yield and yield components. Analysis of variance and Least Significant Difference (LSD) on yield were conducted (p≤0.05) using INSTAT software. WW had alkaline pH of 8.2 and acceptable levels of physical-chemical-biological components. WW only treated rice resulted in higher yields over non-treated rice. The combination of WW and NPK was not as effective especially for flowering, grain size and total yield indicative of nutrients overloading. Tap water only treated rice yielded 1.3 tons/ha while WW treated rice yielded 5.44 ton/ha mostly through promotion of higher number of fertile tillers while a combination of WW and NPK depressed yield potential to only 1.7 ton/ha. Effectiveness of WW for irrigation is acknowledged.
Effects of inorganic nutrient P and N application on Azolla biomass growth an...Innspub Net
Rice farmers in Mwea Irrigation Scheme routinely apply P and N fertilizers which affect water nutrient levels. A study was conducted to establish the effects of nutrient N and P application on Azolla biomass accumulation. The study was conducted in a batch culture experiment, using 5g of fresh Azolla biomass samples from each of the six major paddy schemes namely: Mwea, Ahero, West Kano, Bunyala, TARDA, and Taveta. Treatments consisted of 0 and 3mg P l-1 and 0 and 200mg N l-1, laid out in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Azolla samples were grown in batch culture plastic pots of 8.4 x 10-3m3 for 10 days using canal water, which was replenished every three days. Fresh Azolla biomass weight was recorded at 0, 5 and 10 days after inoculation. Data was subjected to analysis of variance using SAS statistical package version 9.1 and means separated using the least significant difference test (p≤0.05). The pH levels in irrigation water averaged 7.2 while N, P and K levels were 20.2, 11.6 and 15ppm respectively. Tissue N and K for Azolla accession averaged 4.2% and 1.6% respectively. Biomass accumulation and doubling time of Azolla were significantly affected by exogenous P and N nutrient application. Doubling time ranged from 5.5 days to 6.7. Application N and P significantly reduced Azolla biomass accumulation and increased biomass doubling time.
Production performance of whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei at different s...UniversitasGadjahMada
This study aimed to determine shrimp performance such as growth, survival rate and biomass production of the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultured in sandy ponds using plastic mulch and different densities (100, 200 and 300 shrimp m-2). The experiment was conducted using 9 ponds of 3x4x1 m (12 m3). Experiments were designed in 3 different stocking densities as treatments and repeated 3 times. Shrimps were cultured in a period of 75 days by measuring daily growth, survival rate (SR), food conversion ratio (FCR), and biomass production. The water quality on daily temperature, pH, salinity, DO and transparency, nitrite, ammonia, and TOM were observed every two weeks. Post larvae (PL9) L. vannamei was fed with 30% protein powder and crumbs fed 4 times per day. Water refreshment was done periodically at the time of filling. Observations were conducted on final weight, daily growth, survival rate, FCR, and biomass production using ANOVA uni-variate analysis. The final weight of 9.58-12.93 g, survival rate between 61.75-97.99%, daily growth between 0.1138-0.1655 g, FCR between 0.92 and 2.06 and biomass production 14.99-22.37 kg m-2 were recorded. Density affects growth, SR, FCR, and biomass production of shrimp (P<0.05). Growth decreased with increasing density (P<0.05), survival decreased with increasing density (P<0.05), while biomass production was significantly different between all treatments (P<0.05). Low density can be applied to aquaculture L. vannamei in sandy ponds using mulch.
Nutrient budgets are becoming accepted tools to describe nutrient flows within cropping system and to assist in the planning of the rotational cropping and mixed farming system
Depending on the farm management and the balance of inputs and outputs of nutrient N,P and K budgets have been shown to range from deficit to surplus in cropping system
Budgets are the outcome of simple nutrient accounting process which details all the inputs and outputs to a given defined system over fixed period of time
A soil surface nutrient budget accounts for all nutrients that enter the soil surface and leave the soil through crop uptake.
Development of sawdust from the Lagos Lagoon in Nigeria as a renewable feedst...Innspub Net
The accumulation of solid waste and consumption of fossil fuels are two phenomenons which already have a major destructive effect on the environment. The lack of alternative solid waste management procedures and shortage of the development of renewable energy resources should be addressed in order to sustain environmental quality. Sawdust is a major waste product along the Lagos lagoon with cellulose one of the predominant structural components of sawdust. The bio-conversion of waste cellulose, a glucose biopolymer into glucose a fermentable sugar has been performed with cellulase from Aspergillus Niger. Delignified and non-delignified sawdust from five different trees along the Lagos Lagoon have been saccharified with A. niger cellulase. The saccharification of these sawdust materials have been performed at different incubation temperatures of 30°C, 40°C, 50°C and 60°C. Optimum saccharification of non-delignified and delignified cellulose from the various trees along the Lagos Lagoon were optimum saccharified at different temperatures resulting in different sugar concentrations produced. A temperature of 40°C was optimum for maximum degradation of non-delignified cellulose from all the trees producing sugar at concentration between 3.0 – 4.3mg.ml-1. Optimum saccharification of delignified cellulose from all the trees was obtained at a temperature of 50°C resulting in a sugar concentration of 5.9 – 8.4mg.ml-1.
Impact of Compost Prepared from Invasive Alien Species in Alleviating Water S...YogeshIJTSRD
Invasive alien plant species are major thread to biodiversity, climate change and environmental sustainability. Management of these invasive alien plant species become a typical task at global level. Composting can be an efficient and environment friendly solution for management of these invasive alien species. The aim of present study was to evaluate the effect of compost prepared from three invasive alien species Cuscutareflexa, Eupatorium adenophorum and Lantana camaraon the tomato plant vigour, antioxidant and nutrient content under water deficit and irrigated well watered conditions. The results revealed that Cuscutareflexa CR compost treatment gave highest shoot length 23.0 , 23.7 , root length 30.0 , 21.4 , shoot fresh weight 47.9 , 52.2 , shoot dry weight 71.0 , 49.4 and root dry weight 66.7 , 51.5 , under water stressand irrigated conditions, respectively. The application of compostCR under water stress has enhanced chlorophyll and prolinecontent over control. Similarly, antioxidant enzymes analysis showed the increased superoxide dismutase 1.33 2.17fold , peroxidase 1.38 1.82fold and catalase 1.06 1.73fold activity under water deficit condition. Nutrient content such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sodiumin tomato leaf were higher under both water stress and irrigated conditions compared to their respective control. It can be concluded from above outcomes that compost prepared from invasive alien species have potential to ameliorate the negative effects of water stress and enhance the tomato growth. Sandhya Bind | A. K. Sharma "Impact of Compost Prepared from Invasive Alien Species in Alleviating Water Stress in Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.)" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-3 , April 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd39961.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/biological-science/botany/39961/impact-of-compost-prepared-from-invasive-alien-species-in-alleviating-water-stress-in-tomato-solanum-lycopersicum-l/sandhya-bind
Microbiological and Physicochemical Assessment of Poultry Soil Samples in Aku...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
Abstract— Human activities such as animal production in many parts of the world, still impact negatively on the environment and biodiversity. This study was carried out to assess the microbiological and physicochemical parameters of poultry soil samples. Soil samples were collected from different poultry in Akure metropolis and soil samples from Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) environment as control. Microbiological and physicochemical analyses were carried out using standard methods. The mean total viable bacterial count of poultry soil ranged from 9.02±0.511×105cfu/g in sample site A to 11.2±0.021×105cfu/g in sample site B and there were significant difference (p<0.05) between the bacterial count of poultry soil and control, mean highest fungal load is 6.05±0.301× 103sfu/g. Bacteria isolated were Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila ,Bacilllus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus faecium. Escherichia coli had the highest occurrence of 23.08% while Aeromonas hydrophila had the lowest occurrence of 5.13%. Fungi isolated were Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigates and Saccharomyces species. Aspergillus niger 46.67% had the highest occurrence while Saccharomyces species had the lowest occurrence of 13.33%. Physiochemical analysis showed that poultry soil had mean pH, temperature and Organic Carbon of 7.92±0.34, 34±0.04oC and 14.88±0.56% respectively, Organic Matter is 5.50±0.61%, Nitrogen 1.27±0.03 mg/g, Phosphorus58.92±0.01 mg/g, Potassium55.48±0.23 mg/g, Sodium 41.77±0.91mg/g, Calcium 28.70±0.24mg/g, Magnesium 20.65±0.32 mg/g and Cation exchange capacity146.60±0.11%. The results obtained calls for proper discharge of poultry waste into the environment to prevent transmission of diseases by water borne pathogens.
The present study was carried on Abelmoschus esculentus (A. esculentus) by using the vermicompost. The decoction tea powder is wasted wet garbage and discarded on the dumping ground. It generally creates environmental pollution. This wet garbage can used as a good source of nutrients to the vegetable crop plants. The research is carried out by preparing vermicompost using 75% decoction tea powder and 25% mixture of black soil, cow dung, leaf litter and little vermicompost. The compost prepared by using decoction tea powder has increased concentration of necessary nutrients such as pH, minerals, organic carbon (O.C.), total phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium required for vegetable crop plants for its development. In present investigation by applying this compost, Electrical conductivity was decreased by 9.51%, O.C. 89.30%, total phosphorus 26.09%, potassium 1.0%, Mg and Na by 43.17% shows a significant increase in absorption. It is also observed that germination period decreases whereas height of stem, leaf area, flowering and fruits were developed earlier than control soil. Key-words- Decoction tea powder, Vermicompost, A. esculentus, Green revolution, Biological resistance
Implementation of integrated pest management based on detrivore augmentation ...Innspub Net
Detrivore augmentation is a part of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactic based on local potential owned by farmers. Its main objective is to increase the abundance of decomposers organisms. Decomposers abundance is an indicator of the nutrient cycling availability. It also indicates the availability of alternative energy source that ensures the natural enemy populations. Augmentation efforts made through the addition of biomass include straw residue, Azolla sp., and organic fertilizers. Mutually with other IPM culture techniques applied, it can improve the abundance of soil arthropods by 9% during the dry season. Also there was an increasing by 15% at the wet season. Some taxa such as Araneae, Araneidae (orb-weaver spider) and Formicidae, which acts as a predator, have a significant increase in its population. A higher population was also observed in parasitic wasps, as well as in Collembola’s and Diptera’s: Chironomidae population, which acts as decomposers. In terms of the diversity index, there were no significant differences between sites (p = 0433; n = 48). However, the number of species, that is contributes to the community, is 1.4% higher in IPM site.
Impact of Untreated Brewery Effluent on Bacteriological Characteristic of Agr...ijtsrd
This research was conducted to evaluate the impact of untreated brewery effluent on the bacteriological characteristic of agricultural soil. This is to ascertain the suitability of untreated brewery effluent for irrigation purposes. Untreated brewery effluent was aseptically collected from Intafact brewery, Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria., while agricultural soil was obtained from a maize farm in Onitsha. Five kilograms of the soil sample was treated with 200 ml of the effluent in a pot experiment and allowed for 80 days. The bacteriological characteristic of the effluent and soil samples treated and untreated was determined by estimating the total bacterial count, total coliform count, fecal coliform count, Pseudomonas count, Rhizobial count and Clostridium count. Results obtained showed that the untreated brewery effluent had total bacterial count of 5.2 × 103cfu ml, total coliform count of 0.5× 103cfu ml, Pseudomonas count of 0.7 × 103cfu g and zero fecal coliform, Rhizobium and Clostridium counts. The total bacterial count, total coliform count, Pseudomonas count, rhizobial count and Clostridium count for the untreated and treated soil samples were 10.8× 103cfu g and 22.8× 103cfu g, 7.2× 103cfu g and 11.4× 103cfu g, 0.9 × 103cfu g and 2.5 × 103cfu g, 0.4× 103cfu g and 0.73× 103cfu g, 1.2 × 103cfu g and 8.0 × 103cfu g respectively. A total of 34 bacterial organisms belonging to ten different genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Azotobacter, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Rhizobium, Proteus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Serratia were isolated from all the samples analyzed. While Enterobacter sp. occurred most in the effluent sample, Bacillussp predominated in the untreated soil sample. Rhizobium and Pseudomonas count were significantly higher p value 0.05 in the treated soil sample. This study showed that untreated brewery effluent enhanced the growth of plant growth promoting bacteria, hence, can serve efficiently as irrigation water. Mbonu, C. F. | Onuorah, S. C. | Okoye, E. C. S. "Impact of Untreated Brewery Effluent on Bacteriological Characteristic of Agricultural Soil" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-3 , April 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd49673.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/biological-science/microbiology/49673/impact-of-untreated-brewery-effluent-on-bacteriological-characteristic-of-agricultural-soil/mbonu-c-f
Some Physiochemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Wastewater and Pos...IIJSRJournal
This study focuses on treating wastewater with natural materials (Charcoal and lime), identifying the physiochemical properties, identifying microorganisms in treated and untreated wastewater, and the possibility of using treated wastewater in agriculture by studying two different types of wastewater collected from two areas in Benghazi (Al-Kish and Sarti sites) in order to find out their suitability for agriculture and some other uses. The Microbiological analysis results were as follows; the growth of bacterial colonies represented in Kleibseilla pnewmonia in wastewater collected from the Sirty sites and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa & Escherichia coli from wastewater collected from the El-Kish sites, where a biological analysis of the wastewater after treating by using two types of economic and available materials in nature Calcium carbonate “lime” and Charcoal after replanting the treated wastewater with the same previous method, we obtained bacterial growth, Pseudomonas aeuroginosa in wastewater treatment by Calcium carbonate "Lime" and Escherichia coli growth in wastewater treatment by Charcoal. Wastewater treatment by Calcium carbonate "Lime" and Charcoal did not show any microbial growth, this study was illustrated there was not growth from any kind of fungi from the studied wastewater treatment and un-treatment.
Wastewater treatment was found that it is possible to benefit from the treated wastewater to irrigate green areas and insensitive crops without soil degradation, and criteria for assessing the suitability of water for irrigation according to the United States Salinity Laboratory (USSL) wastewater treatment samples are located in class C3-S1, it cannot be used to irrigate sensitive crops, especially citrus fruits, and it should only be used in lands that do not have impervious layers that prevent leaching because they need washing.
Plant need water, air, light, suitable temperature and 17 essential nutrients for growth and development in the right combination. When plant suffers from malnutrition, exhibits symptoms of being unhealthy reliable nutrient recommendations are dependent upon accurate soil tests and crop nutrient calibrations based on extensive field research. An important part of crop production is being able to identify and prevent plant nutrient deficiencies. Optimization of pistachio productivity and quality requires an understanding of the nutrient requirements of the tree, the factors that influence nutrient availability and the methods used to diagnose and correct deficiencies. Several methods for nutritional diagnosis using leaf tissue analysis have been proposed and used, including the critical value (CV), the sufficiency range approach (SRA), and the diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS). de both soil and tissues analysis. Renewed and intensified efforts are in progress to identify nutrient constraints using latest diagnostic tools and managing them more precisely through intervention of geospatial technologies (GPS, GIS etc.). There have been consistent concerns about the relegated fertilizer use efficiency, warranting further the revision of ongoing practices, and adoption of some alternative strategies. Diagnosis of nutrient constraints and their effective management has, therefore, now shifted in favour of INM.
This is another presentation visualizing the work on Ecological Sanitation by University of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with Arghyam Foundation.
Effect of treated domestic wastewater as source of irrigation water and nutri...Premier Publishers
A study was conducted in Morogoro, Tanzania to assess the effect of treated wastewater as an alternative source of irrigation water and nutrients for rice. Wastewater was sourced from a local wastewater Stabilization Ponds and cleaned through a Constructed Wetland. Four treatments namely, (i) Waste water (WW) only (ii) WW + NPK (iii) Tap water only (iv) Tap water + NPK were tested in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replicates. Rice, variety Saro 5 was planted in August 2013.Data was collected on physical-chemical and biological qualities of the WW, and soils, yield and yield components. Analysis of variance and Least Significant Difference (LSD) on yield were conducted (p≤0.05) using INSTAT software. WW had alkaline pH of 8.2 and acceptable levels of physical-chemical-biological components. WW only treated rice resulted in higher yields over non-treated rice. The combination of WW and NPK was not as effective especially for flowering, grain size and total yield indicative of nutrients overloading. Tap water only treated rice yielded 1.3 tons/ha while WW treated rice yielded 5.44 ton/ha mostly through promotion of higher number of fertile tillers while a combination of WW and NPK depressed yield potential to only 1.7 ton/ha. Effectiveness of WW for irrigation is acknowledged.
Effects of inorganic nutrient P and N application on Azolla biomass growth an...Innspub Net
Rice farmers in Mwea Irrigation Scheme routinely apply P and N fertilizers which affect water nutrient levels. A study was conducted to establish the effects of nutrient N and P application on Azolla biomass accumulation. The study was conducted in a batch culture experiment, using 5g of fresh Azolla biomass samples from each of the six major paddy schemes namely: Mwea, Ahero, West Kano, Bunyala, TARDA, and Taveta. Treatments consisted of 0 and 3mg P l-1 and 0 and 200mg N l-1, laid out in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Azolla samples were grown in batch culture plastic pots of 8.4 x 10-3m3 for 10 days using canal water, which was replenished every three days. Fresh Azolla biomass weight was recorded at 0, 5 and 10 days after inoculation. Data was subjected to analysis of variance using SAS statistical package version 9.1 and means separated using the least significant difference test (p≤0.05). The pH levels in irrigation water averaged 7.2 while N, P and K levels were 20.2, 11.6 and 15ppm respectively. Tissue N and K for Azolla accession averaged 4.2% and 1.6% respectively. Biomass accumulation and doubling time of Azolla were significantly affected by exogenous P and N nutrient application. Doubling time ranged from 5.5 days to 6.7. Application N and P significantly reduced Azolla biomass accumulation and increased biomass doubling time.
Production performance of whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei at different s...UniversitasGadjahMada
This study aimed to determine shrimp performance such as growth, survival rate and biomass production of the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultured in sandy ponds using plastic mulch and different densities (100, 200 and 300 shrimp m-2). The experiment was conducted using 9 ponds of 3x4x1 m (12 m3). Experiments were designed in 3 different stocking densities as treatments and repeated 3 times. Shrimps were cultured in a period of 75 days by measuring daily growth, survival rate (SR), food conversion ratio (FCR), and biomass production. The water quality on daily temperature, pH, salinity, DO and transparency, nitrite, ammonia, and TOM were observed every two weeks. Post larvae (PL9) L. vannamei was fed with 30% protein powder and crumbs fed 4 times per day. Water refreshment was done periodically at the time of filling. Observations were conducted on final weight, daily growth, survival rate, FCR, and biomass production using ANOVA uni-variate analysis. The final weight of 9.58-12.93 g, survival rate between 61.75-97.99%, daily growth between 0.1138-0.1655 g, FCR between 0.92 and 2.06 and biomass production 14.99-22.37 kg m-2 were recorded. Density affects growth, SR, FCR, and biomass production of shrimp (P<0.05). Growth decreased with increasing density (P<0.05), survival decreased with increasing density (P<0.05), while biomass production was significantly different between all treatments (P<0.05). Low density can be applied to aquaculture L. vannamei in sandy ponds using mulch.
Nutrient budgets are becoming accepted tools to describe nutrient flows within cropping system and to assist in the planning of the rotational cropping and mixed farming system
Depending on the farm management and the balance of inputs and outputs of nutrient N,P and K budgets have been shown to range from deficit to surplus in cropping system
Budgets are the outcome of simple nutrient accounting process which details all the inputs and outputs to a given defined system over fixed period of time
A soil surface nutrient budget accounts for all nutrients that enter the soil surface and leave the soil through crop uptake.
Development of sawdust from the Lagos Lagoon in Nigeria as a renewable feedst...Innspub Net
The accumulation of solid waste and consumption of fossil fuels are two phenomenons which already have a major destructive effect on the environment. The lack of alternative solid waste management procedures and shortage of the development of renewable energy resources should be addressed in order to sustain environmental quality. Sawdust is a major waste product along the Lagos lagoon with cellulose one of the predominant structural components of sawdust. The bio-conversion of waste cellulose, a glucose biopolymer into glucose a fermentable sugar has been performed with cellulase from Aspergillus Niger. Delignified and non-delignified sawdust from five different trees along the Lagos Lagoon have been saccharified with A. niger cellulase. The saccharification of these sawdust materials have been performed at different incubation temperatures of 30°C, 40°C, 50°C and 60°C. Optimum saccharification of non-delignified and delignified cellulose from the various trees along the Lagos Lagoon were optimum saccharified at different temperatures resulting in different sugar concentrations produced. A temperature of 40°C was optimum for maximum degradation of non-delignified cellulose from all the trees producing sugar at concentration between 3.0 – 4.3mg.ml-1. Optimum saccharification of delignified cellulose from all the trees was obtained at a temperature of 50°C resulting in a sugar concentration of 5.9 – 8.4mg.ml-1.
Impact of Compost Prepared from Invasive Alien Species in Alleviating Water S...YogeshIJTSRD
Invasive alien plant species are major thread to biodiversity, climate change and environmental sustainability. Management of these invasive alien plant species become a typical task at global level. Composting can be an efficient and environment friendly solution for management of these invasive alien species. The aim of present study was to evaluate the effect of compost prepared from three invasive alien species Cuscutareflexa, Eupatorium adenophorum and Lantana camaraon the tomato plant vigour, antioxidant and nutrient content under water deficit and irrigated well watered conditions. The results revealed that Cuscutareflexa CR compost treatment gave highest shoot length 23.0 , 23.7 , root length 30.0 , 21.4 , shoot fresh weight 47.9 , 52.2 , shoot dry weight 71.0 , 49.4 and root dry weight 66.7 , 51.5 , under water stressand irrigated conditions, respectively. The application of compostCR under water stress has enhanced chlorophyll and prolinecontent over control. Similarly, antioxidant enzymes analysis showed the increased superoxide dismutase 1.33 2.17fold , peroxidase 1.38 1.82fold and catalase 1.06 1.73fold activity under water deficit condition. Nutrient content such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sodiumin tomato leaf were higher under both water stress and irrigated conditions compared to their respective control. It can be concluded from above outcomes that compost prepared from invasive alien species have potential to ameliorate the negative effects of water stress and enhance the tomato growth. Sandhya Bind | A. K. Sharma "Impact of Compost Prepared from Invasive Alien Species in Alleviating Water Stress in Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.)" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-3 , April 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd39961.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/biological-science/botany/39961/impact-of-compost-prepared-from-invasive-alien-species-in-alleviating-water-stress-in-tomato-solanum-lycopersicum-l/sandhya-bind
Microbiological and Physicochemical Assessment of Poultry Soil Samples in Aku...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
Abstract— Human activities such as animal production in many parts of the world, still impact negatively on the environment and biodiversity. This study was carried out to assess the microbiological and physicochemical parameters of poultry soil samples. Soil samples were collected from different poultry in Akure metropolis and soil samples from Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) environment as control. Microbiological and physicochemical analyses were carried out using standard methods. The mean total viable bacterial count of poultry soil ranged from 9.02±0.511×105cfu/g in sample site A to 11.2±0.021×105cfu/g in sample site B and there were significant difference (p<0.05) between the bacterial count of poultry soil and control, mean highest fungal load is 6.05±0.301× 103sfu/g. Bacteria isolated were Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila ,Bacilllus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus faecium. Escherichia coli had the highest occurrence of 23.08% while Aeromonas hydrophila had the lowest occurrence of 5.13%. Fungi isolated were Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigates and Saccharomyces species. Aspergillus niger 46.67% had the highest occurrence while Saccharomyces species had the lowest occurrence of 13.33%. Physiochemical analysis showed that poultry soil had mean pH, temperature and Organic Carbon of 7.92±0.34, 34±0.04oC and 14.88±0.56% respectively, Organic Matter is 5.50±0.61%, Nitrogen 1.27±0.03 mg/g, Phosphorus58.92±0.01 mg/g, Potassium55.48±0.23 mg/g, Sodium 41.77±0.91mg/g, Calcium 28.70±0.24mg/g, Magnesium 20.65±0.32 mg/g and Cation exchange capacity146.60±0.11%. The results obtained calls for proper discharge of poultry waste into the environment to prevent transmission of diseases by water borne pathogens.
The present study was carried on Abelmoschus esculentus (A. esculentus) by using the vermicompost. The decoction tea powder is wasted wet garbage and discarded on the dumping ground. It generally creates environmental pollution. This wet garbage can used as a good source of nutrients to the vegetable crop plants. The research is carried out by preparing vermicompost using 75% decoction tea powder and 25% mixture of black soil, cow dung, leaf litter and little vermicompost. The compost prepared by using decoction tea powder has increased concentration of necessary nutrients such as pH, minerals, organic carbon (O.C.), total phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium required for vegetable crop plants for its development. In present investigation by applying this compost, Electrical conductivity was decreased by 9.51%, O.C. 89.30%, total phosphorus 26.09%, potassium 1.0%, Mg and Na by 43.17% shows a significant increase in absorption. It is also observed that germination period decreases whereas height of stem, leaf area, flowering and fruits were developed earlier than control soil. Key-words- Decoction tea powder, Vermicompost, A. esculentus, Green revolution, Biological resistance
Implementation of integrated pest management based on detrivore augmentation ...Innspub Net
Detrivore augmentation is a part of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactic based on local potential owned by farmers. Its main objective is to increase the abundance of decomposers organisms. Decomposers abundance is an indicator of the nutrient cycling availability. It also indicates the availability of alternative energy source that ensures the natural enemy populations. Augmentation efforts made through the addition of biomass include straw residue, Azolla sp., and organic fertilizers. Mutually with other IPM culture techniques applied, it can improve the abundance of soil arthropods by 9% during the dry season. Also there was an increasing by 15% at the wet season. Some taxa such as Araneae, Araneidae (orb-weaver spider) and Formicidae, which acts as a predator, have a significant increase in its population. A higher population was also observed in parasitic wasps, as well as in Collembola’s and Diptera’s: Chironomidae population, which acts as decomposers. In terms of the diversity index, there were no significant differences between sites (p = 0433; n = 48). However, the number of species, that is contributes to the community, is 1.4% higher in IPM site.
Impact of Untreated Brewery Effluent on Bacteriological Characteristic of Agr...ijtsrd
This research was conducted to evaluate the impact of untreated brewery effluent on the bacteriological characteristic of agricultural soil. This is to ascertain the suitability of untreated brewery effluent for irrigation purposes. Untreated brewery effluent was aseptically collected from Intafact brewery, Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria., while agricultural soil was obtained from a maize farm in Onitsha. Five kilograms of the soil sample was treated with 200 ml of the effluent in a pot experiment and allowed for 80 days. The bacteriological characteristic of the effluent and soil samples treated and untreated was determined by estimating the total bacterial count, total coliform count, fecal coliform count, Pseudomonas count, Rhizobial count and Clostridium count. Results obtained showed that the untreated brewery effluent had total bacterial count of 5.2 × 103cfu ml, total coliform count of 0.5× 103cfu ml, Pseudomonas count of 0.7 × 103cfu g and zero fecal coliform, Rhizobium and Clostridium counts. The total bacterial count, total coliform count, Pseudomonas count, rhizobial count and Clostridium count for the untreated and treated soil samples were 10.8× 103cfu g and 22.8× 103cfu g, 7.2× 103cfu g and 11.4× 103cfu g, 0.9 × 103cfu g and 2.5 × 103cfu g, 0.4× 103cfu g and 0.73× 103cfu g, 1.2 × 103cfu g and 8.0 × 103cfu g respectively. A total of 34 bacterial organisms belonging to ten different genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Azotobacter, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Rhizobium, Proteus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Serratia were isolated from all the samples analyzed. While Enterobacter sp. occurred most in the effluent sample, Bacillussp predominated in the untreated soil sample. Rhizobium and Pseudomonas count were significantly higher p value 0.05 in the treated soil sample. This study showed that untreated brewery effluent enhanced the growth of plant growth promoting bacteria, hence, can serve efficiently as irrigation water. Mbonu, C. F. | Onuorah, S. C. | Okoye, E. C. S. "Impact of Untreated Brewery Effluent on Bacteriological Characteristic of Agricultural Soil" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-3 , April 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd49673.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/biological-science/microbiology/49673/impact-of-untreated-brewery-effluent-on-bacteriological-characteristic-of-agricultural-soil/mbonu-c-f
Some Physiochemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Wastewater and Pos...IIJSRJournal
This study focuses on treating wastewater with natural materials (Charcoal and lime), identifying the physiochemical properties, identifying microorganisms in treated and untreated wastewater, and the possibility of using treated wastewater in agriculture by studying two different types of wastewater collected from two areas in Benghazi (Al-Kish and Sarti sites) in order to find out their suitability for agriculture and some other uses. The Microbiological analysis results were as follows; the growth of bacterial colonies represented in Kleibseilla pnewmonia in wastewater collected from the Sirty sites and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa & Escherichia coli from wastewater collected from the El-Kish sites, where a biological analysis of the wastewater after treating by using two types of economic and available materials in nature Calcium carbonate “lime” and Charcoal after replanting the treated wastewater with the same previous method, we obtained bacterial growth, Pseudomonas aeuroginosa in wastewater treatment by Calcium carbonate "Lime" and Escherichia coli growth in wastewater treatment by Charcoal. Wastewater treatment by Calcium carbonate "Lime" and Charcoal did not show any microbial growth, this study was illustrated there was not growth from any kind of fungi from the studied wastewater treatment and un-treatment.
Wastewater treatment was found that it is possible to benefit from the treated wastewater to irrigate green areas and insensitive crops without soil degradation, and criteria for assessing the suitability of water for irrigation according to the United States Salinity Laboratory (USSL) wastewater treatment samples are located in class C3-S1, it cannot be used to irrigate sensitive crops, especially citrus fruits, and it should only be used in lands that do not have impervious layers that prevent leaching because they need washing.
Effect of Untreated Brewery Wastewater on the Physicochemical Properties of A...ijtsrd
The increasing rate of environmental pollution especially of water bodies due to discharges from industries has become a serious challenge. Wastewater reuse is a useful tool in minimizing the amount of effluent discharge into the environment. This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of untreated brewery effluent on the physicochemical of soil and crop yield. The physicochemical properties of untreated effluent from a brewery and its effects on soil physiochemical properties and maize crop yield, were studied using standard analytical methods. The potential of brewery effluent as a nutrient source for crop production was assessed through pot culture experiments. The effluent was found to be slightly acidic in nature, and had high BOD and COD due to the presence of large amounts of solids. The effluent was rich in nitrate, phosphate and potassium, so that its application to the soil increased the values of available nutrients in the soil. The pH of the soil decreased gradually with increasing concentration of the effluent. The brewery effluent increased the moisture content and plant nutrients of the irrigated soil. In the pot culture studies, the growth parameters such as plant height, number of leaves, root length, fresh and dry weight, number of seeds per cob and the total chlorophyll content of the maize plants were measured. The growth of the maize plant was highest with 100 untreated effluent but low in productivity, while its productivity was highest with 50 effluent. The heavy metals content of the harvested maize analysed were all within permissible limit. This research revealed that brewery wastewater reuse in agriculture at 50 is an efficient tool for pollution control as well as improved soil properties and crop yield. Mbonu, C. F. | Onuorah, S. C. | Anaukwu, C. G. "Effect of Untreated Brewery Wastewater on the Physicochemical Properties of Agricultural Soil and Crop Yield" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-4 , June 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50203.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/other-scientific-research-area/other/50203/effect-of-untreated-brewery-wastewater-on-the-physicochemical-properties-of-agricultural-soil-and-crop-yield/mbonu-c-f
Enhancing Productivity and Livelihoods among Smallholders Irrigations through...Jenkins Macedo
This field research was presented at the 2015 3rd Global Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture in Montpelier, France on March 18, 2015.
Climate change and climate variability pose significant risks to smallholders in the rainfed lowlands of Lao PDR. Increased surface temperatures, declining rainfall, persistent drought and depletion of soil nutrients all serve to impact agricultural productivity and livelihoods. This study investigates the impact of five treatments on soil nutrients, moisture, plant growth, and yield of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica). The treatments tested were rice husk biochar only, biochar inoculated with manure, manure tea, inorganic fertilizer and the control. The costs and benefits of the treatments were also assessed. The randomized complete block design was used to assign five treatments and eight replications to the experimental units. Biochar was produced through slow pyrolysis. Soil physical properties were assessed with the visual soil assessment method and 15-randomized soil samples were collected for chemical analyses. Sprinklers were used for irrigation and a weather station installed to monitor the climate. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Costs-benefits evaluation of the treatments was conducted to determine the net benefits relative to the initial costs ratio. The analysis of variance of mean yield indicates that the difference in yield among the treatments was highly significant. The computed F value (8.28) was higher than the F critical (2.64) at the 5% level of significance. The calculated coefficient of variance of mean yield was 17.33%. The net benefits to initial costs ratio of treatments suggest that the control (4.11), biochar inoculated with manure plus NPK (1.64), and biochar plus manure tea (1.01) are preferred. The net benefits and initial costs evaluation of treatments is important to assess whether utilizing these treatments would impact smallholders’ livelihoods. The results of this study contribute to the evidence that biochar could play an essential role to mitigate climate change risks by enhancing soil quality and increase agricultural productivity.
Spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) Response to Deficit Irrigationpaperpublications3
Abstract: An experiment was conducted with the objective to identify the level of deficit irrigation which allows achieving optimal yield and investigate the effect of deficit irrigation practice on spearmint (Mentha Spicata L.) yield and yield components. The experiment was conducted at Koka research station of Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia latitude 8O26’, longitude 39O2’ and altitude 1602masl for two years (2011/2012 and 2012/2013 dry season). Nine treatments three level of irrigation water amount percentage based on evapo-transpiration of the crop (ETc) (100%ETc, 75%ETc and 50%ETc) and three types of furrow irrigation water application method (alternate furrow, fixed furrow and conventional furrow) were used in randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications. The pooled mean of two year data showed different level of deficit irrigation had a significant effect (p<0.05)><0.01) variation among treatments due to deficit irrigation on dry biomass yield per hectare, dry leaf yield per hectare, essential oil yield per hectare and water use efficiency. However, different deficit irrigation level had no significant influence on wet harvesting index. The highest fresh biomass, dry biomass, fresh leaf, dry leaf and essential oil yield per harvesting cycle of 12093kg/ha, 3746kg/ha, 8133kg/ha, 2441.1kg/ha and 37.0kg/ha respectively was obtained due to 100%ETc with conventional furrow application method. Moreover, the highest water use efficiency of 16.3x10-3kg/m3 was achieved due to deficit irrigation to 50%ETc with alternate furrow irrigation water application method. The study showed that the best treatment is deficit irrigation to 50%ETc with conventional furrow application method which had no significant variation with treatments that showed higher yields of spearmint including water use efficiency.
1 ijreh dec-2017-3-environmental and socio-economicAI Publications
The benefits of the use of biochar in improvement of soil properties and crop growth have been dominating scientific debates in efforts to include biochar in policy and regulatory frameworks. The study incorporated a semi participatory methodology involving farmers to gain anon-farm-view assessment of the challenges, environmental feasibility, economic profitability and socio-cultural soundness of biochar production and use. Biochar produced from cassava stems, ricehuskand corncobs using an Elsa pyrolyser were applied at 16kg/plot on 8m2 experimental plots during the 2016/2017 cropping season in Nkolbisson, Cameroon following a complete randomised design with three replications. Cassava plant growth parameters were measured at 3, 6 and 9 months after planting while yields were obtained at harvest. Cost benefit analysis was used to evaluate the total costs and revenue returns.Fifteen farmers participated in the trialand semi-structured questionnaires and interviews were used to elucidate farmer’s assessment of biochar. Results showed that, farmers using ricehusk biochar encured more profits with net benefits of 1.44 million fCFA andmarginal rate of return (33.06%) compared to thecontrol (583267fCFA) with MRR of 12.33% and corncob biochar (353436 fCFA) with MRR of 7.80%. Additional revenue (34.95%)was gained from the use of ricehusk biochar market price for CO2 offset at ($60).The use of ricehusk biochar was found to be socio-economically and environmentally feasible. However, national sensitization on biochar production could helpcreate awareness, generate a huge leap in livelihoods as well as get the attention of the government for policy drive.
Bioremediating Effect of Glomus Hoi and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa on the Organic...IJEAB
This study analyzed the degrading effect of Glomus hoi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the organic content and heavy metals of oil refinery effluent polluted soil using Amaranthus cruentus as the test plant. This study was carried out to determine if agricultural activities can be improved using any or both of the micoorganisms. Eight different treatment layouts were used with three replicates for each level of pollution in the treatment layout. Ninety six (96) pots, each containing three kilograms of soil from both sterilized and unsterilized soil were used for the study. Fifty (50) grams of soil inoculum from propagated Arbuscular mycorrhiza was inoculated to a set of twenty four (24) experimental pots containing both sterilized and unsterilized soil before A. cruentus seedlings were transplanted to them. Another set of twenty four (24) pots containing both sterilized and unsterilized soil were injected with thirty (30) mL of P. aeruginosa inoculum solution before transplanting A. cruentus seedlings to them. The third set of twenty four (24) pots received dual inoculation of both fifty (50) grams of soil inoculum containing G. hoi and thirty (30) mL of P. aeruginosa inoculum solution before A. cruentus were transplanted to them. The residual twenty four (24) pots served as the control. Thereafter, pot preparation was arranged in the screenhouse in a randomized block design. The A. cruentus seedlings were raised in nursery for a period of two weeks before they were transplanted to the pots, seedlings were left for 3 days to overcome transplanting shock before contaminating the soil with refinery effluent at various concentrations of 0%, 2%, 4% and 6% v/w. The seedlings were allowed to grow for eight weeks before the termination of the experiment. The pre planting analysis of soil showed that heavy metals analyses (zinc and iron) of sterilized soil had a lower concentration to the unsterilized. The soil pH ranged from 6.3 to 6.8. It also revealed that organic matter and organic carbon content ranged from 0.8% to 1.3% and 0.4% to 1.7%. However, after the experiment, it was discovered in this study that treatments without any microorganism inoculation in sterilized and unsterilized soil had a higher level of % organic carbon and % organic matter content compared to the other treatments that were inoculated with one or two micro-organisms across all the levels of effluent concentration. Heavy metals of soil in all the soil samples were found to increase as the petrochemical effluent increased in concentration. The results obtained were analyzed using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) and other descriptive statistics. This study opined that the combined use of G. hoi and P. aeruginosa was more effective in improving the organic contentand the reduce heavy metals of oil refinery effluent polluted soil than when either is used singly.
Effects of Incorporated Green Manure and Inorganic Fertilizer on Amaranth Ama...ijtsrd
Four cowpea varieties Oloyin, Drum, Zobo and White Mallam , and four levels of nitrogen fertilizer 20, 40, 60 and 80 kg N ha were applied at 2 weeks after planting WAP to the vegetable Amaranth between October 2018 to April 2019. The cowpea green manure was incorporated into soil 6 WAP and left for a week to decompose before planting the vegetable Amaranth. Growth of cowpea varieties used as green manure in 2018 showed no significant difference. However, in 2019 the canopy height and fresh weight at 3 WAP were significantly p 0.05 different among cowpea varieties. The canopy height of Oloyin, Drum and White Mallam were similar but significantly p 0.05 higher than that of Zobo variety. Similarly, application of 60 and 80 kg N ha significantly produced more yield relative to 0 and 40 kg N ha of inorganic fertilizer rates. Generally, higher significant yield p 0.05 was recorded in the second cycle of planting. This study concluded that green manure from Oloyin produced yield of Amaranth us 11.0 47.3 t ha which was similar to the yield obtained from 80 kg N ha 12.13 37.7t ha . Adeniji Azeez Adewale | Kumoye Deborah Etooluwa "Effects of Incorporated Green Manure and Inorganic Fertilizer on Amaranth (Amaranthus Caudatus. L) Vegetable" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-6 , October 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd33676.pdf Paper Url: https://www.ijtsrd.com/biological-science/zoology/33676/effects-of-incorporated-green-manure-and-inorganic-fertilizer-on-amaranth-amaranthus-caudatus-l-vegetable/adeniji-azeez-adewale
There is a great contamination of water, soil, air, soil erosion, pest resistance
and extensive use of chemical fertilizers cause a turn to induce agriculture for
producing safe and clean products. For this purpose, by using natural materials like
algae on the beach, organic and environmentally friendly fertilizer was prepared. In
this investigation effect of Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer (SLF) of Ulva fasciata at
concentrations of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% on some parameters of wheat
(Triticum aestivum var. chamran) has been investigated. Based on the results, above
algae can be used as a food supplement solution in the form of foliar spray at 2.5%
concentration with a significant increase in morphological and biochemical indices.
Bacterial indicators and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli in groundw...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— The aim of this research was to investigate the groundwater quality in El Barreal basin (Córdoba, Argentina), through bacteriological analysis and antibiotic resistance of fecal bacteria indicators and their relationship with geochemical and land uses characteristics. Groundwater samples were collected in 36 wells and the following parameters were determined: major chemical components, heterotrophic plate counts, total and fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibiotic resistance of E. coli was analyzed using standard methods. The chemical and bacteriological analysis showed that more than 80 % of samples were unfit for human consumption. Bacteriological contamination was significant in 36 % of samples. The multivariate analysis between bacterial and geochemical variables explained local contamination conditions, evidenced by the arrival of bacteria and some typical indicators (NO 3-, Cl-y HCO 3-) to groundwater. No significant correlation between NO 3-and bacterial counts was observed, which let us to interpret that part of NO 3-contents can be supplied by inorganic fertilizers. Total and fecal coliforms were linked to a local increase of Cl-and HCO 3-and a decrease of pH and dissolved oxygen, indicating the arrival and degradation of organic matter into groundwater. The resistance pattern of total E. coli isolates (n=12) showed that the highest percentages were observed for antibiotics of animal use (ampicillin, tetracycline and cephalothin). The analysis of results revealed the impact of land uses demonstrating that livestock activities are the main punctual contaminant sources in this sedimentary aquifer.
Enhancing Productivity and Livelihoods Among Smallholder Irrigators through B...Jenkins Macedo
This is a research project in progress. A full report with results will be available at the end of the year [2014] and after the thesis has being defended at Clark University. This research is funded by Purdue University Center for Global Food Security through a grant funded by the USAID.
Selection of Drought Tolerant Mutant of Amaranthus Cruentus L. in Green HousePremier Publishers
Water deficit is one of the significant environmental factors limiting plant production. This stress occurs during drought period. The aim of this study was to select gamma irradiation-induced drought tolerant mutant drought lines during vegetative stage. Seeds of the reference cultivar were gamma irradiated using the gamma irradiated facility at the IAEA to induce genetic variation. Four selected lines based on their high biomass (L2, L17, L18 and L23) and the reference cultivar (L0) were grown under four irrigation frequencies: 2, 4, 8 and 12 days with 200 ml as standard water regime for 24 days after transplanting. Completely randomized block design with 3 repetitions was applied. Data related to Relative Plant Height Growth, Relative Leaf Number Growth, Relative Shoot Fresh Mass Growth and Relative Root Length Growth were determined. The results indicated a significant effect of water deficit on all considered parameters by limiting the growth. Reduction observed were less accentuated in lines L2. Line L2 showed a significant difference for root growth indicating the adaptability of drought. Based on drought tolerant index, L2 was the most tolerant. At this stage, lines L2 appeared to be the most promising for the creation of new drought-tolerant amaranth varieties.
Selection of Drought Tolerant Mutant of Amaranthus Cruentus L. in Green HousePremier Publishers
Water deficit is one of the significant environmental factors limiting plant production. This stress occurs during drought period. The aim of this study was to select gamma irradiation-induced drought tolerant mutant drought lines during vegetative stage. Seeds of the reference cultivar were gamma irradiated using the gamma irradiated facility at the IAEA to induce genetic variation. Four selected lines based on their high biomass (L2, L17, L18 and L23) and the reference cultivar (L0) were grown under four irrigation frequencies: 2, 4, 8 and 12 days with 200 ml as standard water regime for 24 days after transplanting. Completely randomized block design with 3 repetitions was applied. Data related to Relative Plant Height Growth, Relative Leaf Number Growth, Relative Shoot Fresh Mass Growth and Relative Root Length Growth were determined. The results indicated a significant effect of water deficit on all considered parameters by limiting the growth. Reduction observed were less accentuated in lines L2. Line L2 showed a significant difference for root growth indicating the adaptability of drought. Based on drought tolerant index, L2 was the most tolerant. At this stage, lines L2 appeared to be the most promising for the creation of new drought-tolerant amaranth varieties.
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Effects of Water Hyacinth Compost on Growth
1. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology
4(4): 617-633, 2014
SCIENCEDOMAIN international
www.sciencedomain.org
Effects of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes
[mart.] solms) Compost on Growth and Yield
Parameters of Maize (Zea mays)
Newton Osoro1, John O. Muoma2, Alice Amoding3, Dative Mukaminega4,
Morris Muthini5, Omwoyo Ombori 1 and John M. Maingi1*
1
Department of Plant and Microbial Sciences, Kenyatta University, P.O Box 43844-00100,
Nairobi, Kenya.
2
Department of Biological Sciences, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology,
P.O Box 190-50100, Kakamega, Kenya.
3
Department of Soil Science, Makerere University, P.O Box 7062, Uganda.
4
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, P.O Box 3900,
Rwanda.
5
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kenyatta University, P.O Box 43844-00100,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Authors’ contributions
This work was carried out in collaboration of all the authors. Authors JMM, JOM and OO
designed the study and supervised the greenhouse and field experiments. Author DM was
involved in supervision of field experiments. Author AA supervised the soil and compost
analysis, authors NO and MM carried out the greenhouse and field experiments, collected the
data, performed the statistical analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Authors OO
and JMM read and approved the final manuscript.
nd
Original Research Article
Received 2 July 2013
st
Accepted 1 September 2013
th
Published 18 November 2013
ABSTRACT
Aims: To evaluate the effects of water hyacinth compost prepared with various cultures
on growth and yield parameters of maize.
Study Design: Randomized Complete Block Design.
Place and Duration of Study: Field experiments were carried out at Otonglo Division in
Kisumu County and greenhouse trials were carried out at Kenyatta University from
November 2011 to August 2012.
Methodology: The water hyacinth compost was prepared using effective microorganisms
____________________________________________________________________________________________
*Corresponding author: E-mail: maingijohn@gmail.com;
2. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(4): 617-633, 2014
(EM) solution, cow manure and molasses separately as starter cultures for composting.
The compost was applied on maize (H513) on separate growth pots in the greenhouse
and plots in the field. The treatments applied included compost prepared with EM (8.84
g/pot), compost prepared with cow manure (8.84 g/pot), compost prepared with molasses
(8.84g/pot), diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer (70.7 mg N/pot) and control (without
fertilizer). For the field experiments, water hyacinth compost was applied at a rate of 5000
-1
kg ha and DAP at 40 kg N/ha. The experiments had five treatments and three
replications for each treatment in the greenhouse and four treatments replicated four
times in three farmers’ fields.
Results: Application of water hyacinth compost and DAP significantly influenced
positively (P ≤ 0.05) the growth attributes of maize. Among the various treatments of the
compost, water hyacinth compost prepared with EM (WHE) performed better in most
parameters evaluated including plant height, shoot dry weight, root dry weight and root
collar diameter. Yield parameters such as 100 seed weight and grain yield were not
significantly (p > 0.05) influenced by various treatments.
Conclusion: Water hyacinth which is locally available and in large quantities (especially
in lake Victoria) can be composted to prepare organic fertilizers and effectively used as
an organic soil amendment to restore soil and increase maize production.
Keywords: Water hyacinth; compost; maize; growth parameters; yield.
ABBREVIATIONS
ANOVA
C
Ca
CAN
cm
DAE
DAP
EM
G
Ha
K
kg
m
mm
N
P
RCD
SPSS
WHC
WHE
WHM
Analysis of Variance
Carbon
Calcium
Calcium Ammonium Nitrate
Centimetre
Days After Emergence
Di Ammonium Phosphate
Effective Microorganisms
Gram
Hectare
Potassium
Kilogram
Metre
Millimetre
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Root Collar Diameter
Statistical Package for Social Sciences
Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure treatment
Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM treatment
Water hyacinth compost prepared using molasses treatment
1. INTRODUCTION
Recent census report on the population of the Lake Victoria Basin shows that about 80% of
the population is engaged in agricultural production [1]. These farmers continuously cultivate
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3. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(4): 617-633, 2014
their land leading to a reduction in soil fertility and reduced crop productivity [2]. Chemical
fertilizers which are currently being used by farmers in the region are expensive; cause
eutrophication hence algal blooms emerge and increase the overall greenhouse gases such
as the oxides of carbon and nitrogen leading to global climate change and environmental
destruction [3]. The economic and environmental costs as a result of the use of the chemical
fertilizers together with their negative impacts to the environment are now of global concern
hence there is need to shift to sustainable organic farming practices such as the use of
fertilizers produced from locally available organic materials [4]. The use of organic fertilizers
from unexploited natural resources perceived as weeds, such as the water hyacinth, would be
a better alternative to improve soil fertility and increase crop yield.
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes [Mart.] Solms) is a free floating macrophyte (in the
family Pontedericeae, Liliales) that grows in fresh water, but may be rooted in the mud, from
where it draws all its nutrients directly. Water hyacinth has been recognized as the most
harmful aquatic weed in the world due to its negative effects on people’s livelihoods and
waterways [5]. Efforts to control the weed through chemical, physical and biological methods
have met with little success [6]. However, there is a continued theme from some researchers
that there is significant benefit to be obtained from seeing water hyacinth a resource rather
than a rogue plant [6,7,8]. The weed is considered a valuable source of macronutrients such
as phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium that are essential for plant nutrition [9,10,11]. Due to
the availability of water hyacinth in Lake Victoria in large quantities; it can be used as a
material for production of organic fertilizer. The compost could then be applied to plants as a
source of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) which are the macro nutrients that limit
crop growth [12,13].
Maize (Zea mays) is the most important staple food in Kenya providing about 40% of the
populations’ caloric requirements and forming the major component of meals. Kenya
produces an average of 30 million bags of maize annually most of which is from smallholder
farms with an average of 1.5-2.5 acres per household [14]. At smallholder farmer level, yields
are low averaging 1.5 tons/ha compared to research centre yields of 6-8 tons/h [15]. The yield
of maize could improve as a result of improved soil fertility management through compost
application [16]. No research has been carried out and documented on the effects of
application of water hyacinth compost on maize especially within the Lake Victoria Basin. The
objective of the study was therefore to assess the effectiveness of the organic fertilizer from
composted water hyacinth on growth and yield of maize (Zea mays).
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Study Site
The field experiments for the study were conducted at Korando sub location, Otonglo Division,
Kisumu County in Lake Victoria Basin from November 2011 to August 2012. The three farms
o
o
used in maize production (designated as farm A, B and C) lie within latitude 0 05’ S and 0
o
o
06’ S and longitude 34 41’ E and 34 43’ E at an elevation between 1115 M and 1133 M
above the sea level. Planting was done during the long rain season between April and July.
Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were carried out at the Department of Plant and
Microbial Sciences in Kenyatta University from January 2012 to March 2012.
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2.2 Preparation of Water Hyacinth Compost
Water hyacinth was harvested manually, sun-dried and chopped into small pieces of about 5
cm. Above ground closed aerobic heap design was used to prepare the compost for fifty days.
The water hyacinth compost was prepared using effective microorganisms (EM) solution, cow
manure and molasses separately as starter cultures for composting. The physical
characteristics of the compost were observed and its chemical composition was assessed in
terms of the total nitrogen, organic carbon, total phosphorus, total potassium and pH.
2.3 Greenhouse Experiments
Clean plastic pots measuring 15 cm diameter and 20 cm height were used. The pots were
filled with soil and moistened by applying water until all the soil was thoroughly wet. Various
fertilizer treatments were applied to each soil per pot and thoroughly mixed. Five viable maize
seeds per pot of uniform size and shape were sown at a depth of 3 cm and one week after
emergence, they were thinned to three seedlings per pot. The treatments administered were
as follows: Maize and water hyacinth compost prepared with EM (WHE), maize and water
hyacinth compost prepared with cattle manure (WHC), maize and water hyacinth compost
prepared with molasses (WHM), maize and nitrogen fertilizer (DAP at 70.70 mg N/pot), maize
with no fertilizer (Control). Water hyacinth compost was applied at the rate of 8.84 g/pot.
Watering of the pots was carried out by adding 100 ml of water on alternate days to each pot.
Each treatment was replicated thrice on separate blocks and the pots arranged in a
Randomized Complete Block design. Sampling of plants was done at 15, 30 and 45 days after
emergence (DAE). The root collar diameter and height of the maize plant sampled was
measured and recorded. The shoots and the roots of the plants were also separated, oven
dried at 60ºC to constant weight and their dry weights measured and recorded. Each
greenhouse experimental set up was terminated after 45 days. The experiment was repeated
three times.
2.4 Field Experiments
At the field, three researcher managed farmers’ fields were prepared by disc ploughing
followed by harrowing. Soil was sampled and taken to the laboratory for physical and
chemical analysis [17]. Each field was then demarcated into four main blocks with four plots
separated by 1 m paths to minimize inter-plot interference. Viable and uniform seeds for
maize were planted in the plots in the field at the onset of rains in April, 2012. Two seeds per
hole were planted with various treatments and two weeks after germination, they were thinned
to one plant per hole after the first weeding. An inter-row spacing of 0.75 m and intra-row
spacing of 0.3 m was used. Twenty eight maize plants per plot were retained after thinning.
First weeding was carried out in all the farms at two weeks after emergence, after which the
plants were top dressed using CAN fertilizer (CAN at 40 kg/ha) for those plots that had been
planted with nitrogen fertilizer. Second weeding was carried out four weeks later. The layout in
each field was a Randomized Complete Block design with four blocks hence four replications
for each treatment. The treatments administered were the same as the greenhouse
treatments excluding WHM. Water hyacinth compost was applied at the rate of 5000 kg/ha
while DAP (NPK ratio was 18:46:0) was applied at the rate of 40 kg N/ha. CAN (26% N) was
applied at the rate of 40 kg N/ha to those plots that had been treated with DAP fertilizer.
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2.5 Soil and Compost Analysis
Particle size of the soil samples, pH and composition of nutrients for both soil and compost
samples were determined. The particle size was determined by the hydrometer method [17]
while the pH was determined using a calibrated Fieldscout pH meter, IQ150 from Spectrum
technologies, in aqueous extracts of 1:10 ratio using distilled water. Nutrients such as total
nitrogen (Kjedahl method), nitrate – nitrogen (colorimetric method), available phosphorus
(Olsen’s method), potassium (flame photometry), exchangeable calcium (atomic absorption
photometry), organic carbon (Walkey and Black method) and sodium (flame photometry) were
all analyzed [17].
2.6 Data Handling
The data obtained from measurement of various growth and yield parameters was analyzed
using one way ANOVA with SPSS computer software version 11.5 for Windows. Means were
separated using Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5% level.
3. RESULTS
3.1 Shoot Dry Weight
th
The treatments had a significant effect on the shoot dry weight of maize on the 30 DAE (P =
th
th
.000) and 45 DAE (P = .000) but not on the 15 DAE (P = .565). Plants grown on soils
amended with DAP and WHM had a mean shoot dry weight of 0.79 g, followed by WHC
treatment with a mean shoot dry weight of 0.73 g, WHE treatment with a mean shoot dry
weight of 0.68 g and the least mean dry weight of 0.54 g was recorded among plants grown
th
on soil with no added fertilizer (control) on the 15 DAE. Soils amended with DAP led to
th
plants with a mean shoot dry weight of 3.06 g which was the highest mean weight on the 30
DAE and significantly different from plants treated with WHC and the control that produced a
mean shoot dry weight of 1.48 g. The shoot dry weight of plants grown on soils amended with
th
WHE and WHM was also significantly different from the control on the 30 DAE weighing 2.41
g and 2.56 g respectively. Soils amended with DAP led to plants with a mean shoot dry weight
th
of 11.07 g on the 45 DAE which was the highest mean weight and significantly different from
all other treatments while control produced a mean shoot dry weight of 2.19 g per plant on the
th
45 DAE (Table 1).
Table 1. Mean shoot dry weight (g) of maize grown in the greenhouse under different
soil amendments
Treatment
WHC
WHE
WHM
DAP
Control
Mean shoot dry weight (g)
15 DAE
0.73±0.13aX
0.68±0.09a
0.79±0.09a
0.79±0.18a
0.54±0.08 a
30 DAE
2.16±0.21abX
2.41±0.19bc
2.56±0.15bc
3.06±0.29c
1.48±0.13 a
45 DAE
4.24±0.41aX
5.72±0.59a
4.01±0.10a
11.07±2.11b
2.19±0.28 a
DAE- Days after emergence.
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according to Tukey’s
honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure treatment;
WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM treatment; WHM - Water hyacinth compost prepared using
molasses treatment; DAP - Diammonium phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
X
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Soil amendments significantly influenced the shoot dry weight of maize plants in farm A at
tasseling stage (P = .00). Plants grown on the soil amended with DAP and WHC had a mean
shoot dry weight of 448.50 g and 401.00 g respectively which were significantly higher
compared to WHE and control that recorded a shoot dry weight of 281.00 g and 251.00 g per
plant respectively (Table 2). Soil amendments had a significant effect on the shoot dry weight
of maize at farm B (P = .00). Plants grown on soil amended with DAP had a mean shoot dry
weight of 398.00 g and performed significantly better compared to all other treatments.
Amendment of the soil with WHE yielded plants with a mean shoot dry weight of 260.25 g
followed by WHC and control whose plants had a weight of 225.00 g and 199.75 g
respectively (Table 2). Various soil amendments significantly affected the shoot dry weight of
maize at farm C (P = .00) at tasseling stage. Plants grown on soils amended with DAP and
WHE had a significantly higher mean shoot dry weight compared to those grown on soil
amended with WHC and control treatments. Amendment of soil with DAP, WHE, WHC and
control led to plants with a mean shoot dry weight of 435.75 g, 248.25 g, 248.75 g and 170.50
g respectively (Table 2).
Table 2. Mean shoot dry weight of maize at tasseling grown in four farms under
different soil amendments at Korando B during the long rain season of 2012
x
Treatment
WHE
WHC
DAP
Control
Mean shoot dry weight (g
Farm A
Farm B
aX
aX
281.00±16.65
260.25±7.32
b
a
401.00±13.21
225.00±13.12
b
b
448.50±16.35
398.00±18.64
a
a
251.00±15.85
199.75±16.69
Farm C
bX
248.25±28.65
a
248.75±8.29
b
435.75±22.53
a
170.50±12.36
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM
treatment; WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure treatment; DAP Diammonium phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
3.2 Root Dry Weight
The root dry weight of maize grown under different soil amendments was significantly different
th
th
th
th
on the 30 and 45 day after emergence (P = .000 on the 30 DAE and P = .000 on the 45
th
DAE). The control had the lowest mean root dry weight of 0.14 g on the 15 DAE, 0.42 g on
th
th
the 30 DAE and 1.05 g on the 45 DAE (Table 3). The highest mean root dry weight, 0.18 g
th
on the 15 DAE, was recorded when the soil was amended with WHM compared to other
treatments although there was no significant difference (Table 3). Roots from soil amended
with WHE, DAP and WHC had a mean dry weight of 0.17 g, 0.16 g and 0.15 g respectively on
th
the 15 DAE. The mean root dry weight of maize plants grown in soil amended with WHM
th
was 0.93 g on the 30 DAE which was significantly higher compared to that of plants grown
on soil amended with DAP that weighed 0.55 g (Table 3). Maize roots from plants grown on
the soil amended with WHC had a mean weight of 0.77 g while those from WHE weighed 0.70
th
g on the 30 DAE. Plants obtained from soil amended with DAP had the highest mean root
th
dry weight of 3.50 g on the 45 DAE which was significantly different from all other treatments
(Table 3).
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Table 3. Mean root dry weight (g) of maize grown in the greenhouse
under different soil amendments
Treatment
WHC
WHE
WHM
DAP
Control
X
Mean root dry weight (g)
15 DAE
aX
0.15±0.04
a
0.17±0.04
a
0.18±0.04
a
0.16±0.05
a
0.14±0.04
30 DAE
bcX
0.77±0.08
bc
0.70±0.02
c
0.93±0.08
ab
0.55±0.03
a
0.42±0.04
45 DAE
aX
2.13±0.22
a
2.06±0.30
a
1.85±0.08
b
3.50±0.53
a
1.05±0.09
DAE- Days after emergence.
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using
cattle manure treatment; WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM treatment; WHM - Water
hyacinth compost prepared using molasses treatment; DAP - Diammonium phosphate (Nitrogen
fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
Soil amendments significantly influenced the root dry weight of maize plants in farm A at
tasseling stage (P = .008). Plants grown on soils amended with WHC and DAP had a mean
root dry weight of 100.00 g and 99.00 g respectively which was significantly higher compared
to the control that recorded a mean root dry weight of 51.00 g. Soil amendments had a
significant effect on the root dry weight of maize at farm B at tasseling (P = .000). Plants
grown on soil amended with DAP had a mean root dry weight of 100.25 g which was
significantly higher compared to all other treatments. Amendment of the soil with WHE yielded
plants with a mean root dry weight of 49.50 g whereas WHC and control treatments had
plants whose roots had a mean dry weight of 49.25 g and 50.50 g respectively (Table 4).
Various soil amendments significantly affected the root dry weight of maize at farm C (P =
.000) at tasseling stage. Plants grown on soils amended with WHC and DAP had roots that
had a significantly higher root dry weight compared to those of plants from WHE treatment
and control (Table 4). WHC, DAP, WHE, and control had plants with a mean root dry weight
of 67.25 g, 50.50 g, 24.00 g and 18.50 g respectively.
Table 4. Mean root dry weight of maize at tasseling grown in four farms under different
soil amendments at Korando B during the long rain season of 2012
x
Treatment
WHE
WHC
DAP
Control
Mean root dry weight (g)
Farm A
Farm B
abX
aX
88.50±11.35
49.50±5.61
b
a
100.00±9.44
49.25±3.71
b
b
99.00±8.68
100.25±5.02
a
a
51.00±6.12
50.50±4.41
Farm C
aX
24.00±2.38
b
67.25±8.36
b
50.50±5.33
a
18.50±1.85
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM
treatment; WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure treatment; DAP - Diammonium
phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
3.3 Plant Height
Maize plants had significant differences in their height under various treatments in the
th
th
greenhouse on the 30 and 45 day after emergence (P = .049 and P = .000 respectively)
th
while there was no significant difference on the 15 DAE (P = .073). The least mean plant
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8. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(4): 617-633, 2014
th
height on the 15 DAE, 13.42 cm, was recorded for the maize plants from the soil which had
not been amended with fertilizer (control) while the highest mean height of 16.95 cm was
recorded in plants grown on soil amended with DAP (Table 5). A mean height of 26.58 cm
th
was recorded as the highest on the 30 DAE for plants obtained from soil amended with DAP
which was not significantly different from those plants grown in the soil amended with WHM,
WHE and WHC that had a mean height of 23.82 cm, 23.58 cm and 22.08 cm respectively
th
(Table 5). The control had a significantly lower plant height compared to DAP on the 30
th
DAE. The highest mean plant height of 36.87 cm was recorded on the 45 DAE for plants
grown on soil amended with DAP which was significantly different from those plants grown in
the soil amended with WHM, WHC and the control with a mean plant height of 28.87 cm,
26.17 cm and 23.67 cm respectively (Table 5).
Table 5. Mean height (cm) of maize plants grown in the greenhouse under
different soil amendments
Treatment
WHC
WHE
WHM
DAP
Control
X
Mean plant height (cm)
15 DAE
30 DAE
aX
abX
15.57±0.56
22.08±0.97
a
ab
16.32±0.47
23.58±0.72
a
ab
15.50±1.15
23.82±1.53
a
b
16.95±1.26
26.58±2.09
a
a
13.42±0.43
20.32±1.27
45 DAE
aX
26.17±1.19
bc
32.98±2.05
ab
28.87±1.69
c
36.87±1.96
a
23.67±0.79
DAE- Days after emergence.
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using
cattle manure treatment; WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM treatment; WHM - Water
hyacinth compost prepared using molasses treatment; DAP - Diammonium phosphate (Nitrogen
fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
Soil amendments had no significant effect on the height of maize plants in farm A at tasseling
stage (P = .064). Amendment of the soil with WHC led to the production of the tallest plants
with a mean height of 262.00 cm while the control had the shortest plants with a mean height
of 232.67 cm (Table 6). Plants grown on soil amended with WHE measured 258.50 cm
whereas DAP plants had 253.08 cm as their mean height. Addition of compost and DAP to
the soil had a significant effect on the plant height of maize at farm B during tasseling (P =
.000). Plants grown on soil amended with WHC had a mean height of 211.00 cm which was
the highest followed by those on soil amended with DAP, WHE and the control that had plants
with a mean height of 206.67 cm, 203.75 cm and 166.58 cm respectively (Table 6). Various
soil amendments significantly affected the root dry weight on maize at farm C (P = .01) at
tasseling stage. The mean plant height of the plants grown on the soil amended with WHC
was significantly lower compared to WHE, DAP treatments and the control. The tallest plants
were recorded from soils amended with WHE with a mean height of 257.00 cm whereas WHC
treatment had the shortest plants at tasseling with a mean height of 173.75 cm (Table 6).
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Table 6. Mean plant height of maize at tasseling grown in four farms under different soil
amendments at Korando B during the long rain season of 2012
x
Treatment
WHE
WHC
DAP
Control
Mean plant height (cm)
Farm A
Farm B
aX
bX
258.50±9.56
203.75±6.07
a
b
262.00±8.48
211.00±8.52
a
b
253.08±5.02
206.67±4.43
a
a
232.67±8.76
166.58±9.19
Farm C
bX
257.00±7.72
a
173.75±3.73
b
237.92±7.51
b
229.00±16.19
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM
treatment; WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure treatment; DAP - Diammonium
phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
3.4 Root Collar Diameter (RCD)
The various treatments had a significant effect on the root collar diameter of maize plants on
th
th
th
the 15 DAE (P = .002), 30 DAE (P = .000) and 45 DAE (P = .000). DAP treatment had
th
plants with the highest mean root collar diameter of 10.42 mm on the 30 and 11.02 mm on
th
the 45 DAE while soil amended with WHM led to plants with a mean root collar diameter of
th
7.51 mm on the 15 DAE. Plants under the control experiment had the lowest mean root
th
th
th
collar diameter of 5.50 mm, 6.92 mm and 6.00 mm on the 15 , 30 and 45 DAE respectively.
th
The root collar diameter on the 15 DAE of the soil which was not amended was significantly
lower compared to those plants grown in soil amended with DAP, WHC and WHM whose
plants measured 7.25 mm, 7.50 mm and 7.51 mm respectively (Table 7). Plants grown in soil
with no added fertilizer (control) had a mean root collar diameter which was significantly lower
compared to plants grown on soils treated with WHC, WHE and WHM that recorded a mean
th
root collar diameter of 9.33, 9.50 mm and 9.58 mm respectively on the 30 DAE. Plants
grown in soil amended with WHE compost had a higher and significantly different root collar
diameter of 9.23 mm compared to the control unlike WHC and WHM treatments that had 7.28
th
mm and 7.67 mm respectively on the 45 DAE (Table 7).
Table 7. Mean root collar diameter (mm) of maize grown in the greenhouse under
different soil amendments
Treatment
WHC
WHE
WHM
DAP
Control
X
Mean root collar diameter (mm)
15 DAE
30 DAE
bX
bX
7.50±0.18
9.33±0.48
ab
b
6.67±0.21
9.50±0.48
b
b
7.51±0.18
9.58±0.20
b
b
7.25±0.66
10.42±0.30
a
a
5.50±0.22
6.92±0.33
45 DAE
abX
7.28±0.21
bc
9.23±0.72
ab
7.67±0.49
c
11.02±0.57
a
6.00±0.20
DAE - Days after emergence.
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using
cattle manure treatment; WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM treatment; WHM - Water
hyacinth compost prepared using molasses treatment; DAP - Diammonium phosphate (Nitrogen
fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
Soil amendments had a significant effect on the root collar diameter of maize plants in farm A
at tasseling stage (P = .002). Amendment of the soil with DAP and WHE led to the production
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of plants with a statistically higher root collar diameter of 3.46 cm and 3.10 cm respectively
compared to those plants grown on soils amended with WHC (3.03 cm) and control (2.82 cm)
in farm A (Table 8). Amendment of the soil with DAP had maize plants with the highest root
collar diameter (3.51 cm) at farm B which was significantly different (P = .000) compared to all
other treatments (Table 8). Plants grown on soil amended with WHC had a mean height of
2.67 cm whereas WHE and control treatments had plants with a mean root diameter of 2.56
cm and 2.39 cm respectively. Various soil amendments significantly affected the mean root
collar diameter of maize plants at farm C (P = .01) at tasseling stage. Plants grown on soils
amended with DAP recorded the highest root collar diameter of 2.73 cm which was
significantly different from the control and WHC that had a mean of 2.52 cm and 2.44 cm
respectively. WHE treatment had plants with a mean root collar diameter of 2.71 cm which
was not significantly different from DAP treatment (Table 8).
Table 8. Mean root collar diameter (cm) of maize grown in four farms at tasseling stage
under different soil amendments at Korando B during the long rain season of 2012
x
Treatment
WHE
WHC
DAP
Control
Mean root collar diameter (cm)
Farm A
Farm B
bX
aX
3.10±0.13
2.56±0.13
a
a
3.03±0.07
2.67±0.12
b
b
3.46±0.11
3.51±0.06
a
a
2.82±0.11
2.39±0.06
Farm C
bX
2.71±0.04
a
2.44±0.09
b
2.73±0.09
a
2.52±0.04
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM
treatment; WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure treatment; DAP - Diammonium
phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
3.5 Maize Grain Yield
Various soil amendments did not have a significant effect on the maize grain yield at farm A
(P = .61). Plants grown on soil amended with WHE produced the highest mean grain yield of
8622.75 kg/ha while DAP treatment had the least yield of 6047.83 kg/ha in farm A. WHC
treatment had a mean grain yield of 6541.28 kg/ha whereas the control had 6169.47 kg/ha
(Table 9).
The grain yield at farm B was not significantly influenced by soil amendments (P = .148).
Amendment of soil with DAP resulted into a mean grain yield of 4568.41 kg/ha at the farm B
which was the highest and soil amendment with WHE resulted to plants with the lowest mean
yield of 2991.16 kg/ha. The mean grain yield of plants grown on soil amended with WHC was
4440.91 kg/ha whereas the control had 3105.25 kg/ha (Table 9).
There was no significant effect of the soil amendments on the grain yield in farm C (P = .349).
Plants grown on soil amended with WHE produced the highest mean grain yield of 7759.01
kg/ha followed by DAP, control and WHC that recorded a mean grain yield of 7271.20 kg/ha,
6723.80 kg/ha and 5022.81 kg/ha respectively (Table 9).
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Table 9. Mean grain yield of maize grown in the four farms under different soil
amendments at Korando B during the long rain season of 2012
Treatment
WHE
WHC
DAP
Control
Grain yield (Kg/ha)
Farm A
Farm B
8622.75±2739.1
2991.16±194.43
6541.28±738.44
4440.91±812.45
6047.83±902.09
4568.41±531.54
6169.47±584.87
3105.25±590.43
Farm C
7759.01±629.39
5022.81±1447.62
7271.20±439.47
6723.80±1421.37
WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM treatment; WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared
using cattle manure treatment; DAP - Diammonium phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No
added fertilizer.
Application of various amendments on soil did not significantly affect the weight of one
hundred maize grains in the four farms. The mean dry weight of 100 seeds from maize plants
grown on soil amended with WHE had the highest mean dry weight of 44.48 g in farm A
followed by DAP (43.78 g), the control (42.22 g) and WHC (41.73 g) (Table 10).
Plants grown on soil amended with WHC had grains with the highest 100 seed mean dry
weight of 37.96 g in farm B while the control had the least 100 seed mean dry weight of 32.63
g. Plants grown on soil amended with DAP and WHE treatment had grains whose 100 seed
mean weight was 35.20 g and 35.17 g respectively (Table 10).
The effect of the soil amendments was not significant in farm C (P = .553). The mean dry
weight of 100 seeds from soil amended with WHE of 45.24 g was the highest followed by the
control, DAP and WHC which had 100 seed mean dry weight of 43.63 g, 41.36 g and 40.99 g
respectively (Table 10).
Table 10. 100 seed mean dry weight of maize grains grown in four farms under different
soil amendments at Korando B during the long rain season of 2012
Treatment
WHE
WHC
DAP
Control
100 Seed dry weight (g)
Farm A
Farm B
44.48±1.26
35.17±1.52
41.73±0.50
37.96±2.29
43.78±1.72
35.20±1.07
42.22±0.99
32.63±2.8
Farm C
45.24±1.56
40.99±2.85
41.36±2.27
43.63±2.48
WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM treatment; WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared
using cattle manure treatment; DAP - Diammonium phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No
added fertilizer.
3.6 Stover Dry Weight
There was no significant effect of the soil amendments on the stover dry weight of maize (P =
.397) in farm A. The heaviest stovers were from plants grown on soils amended with DAP
which had a dry weight of 25860.9 kg/ha whereas the lightest stovers which weighed 20406.7
kg/ha were from the soils in which fertilizer was not added (control). Stovers from plants under
WHC and WHE treatment recorded a mean stover yield of 22450.0 kg/ha and 20425.1 kg/ha
respectively (Table 11). Soil amendments did not have a significant effect on the stover dry
weight at farm B (P = .844). Soil amended with DAP led to the production of the heaviest
stovers with a mean weight of 20524.9 kg/ha. The control and WHE treatments had a mean
stover dry weight of 18930.00 kg/ha and 18612.22 kg/ha respectively whereas WHC
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12. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(4): 617-633, 2014
treatment recorded the lowest stover dry weight of 15832.00 kg/ha (Table 11). Soil
amendments significantly affected the stover dry weight of maize in farm C (P = .016). Plants
grown on soil amended with DAP had stovers with the highest mean dry weight of 26935.7
kg/ha which was significantly different from WHC treatment that had 9611.9 kg/ha. Plants
grown on soil amended with WHE and plants with no added fertilizer had a mean stover dry
weight of 21782.5 and 18196.2 kg/ha respectively (Table 11).
Table 11. Mean stover dry weight of maize grown in the four farms under different soil
amendments at Korando B during the long rain season of 2012
x
Treatment
WHE
WHC
DAP
Control
Stover yield (Kg/ha)
Farm A
Farm B
aX
aX
20425.1±2784.1
18612.22±485.34
a
a
22450.0±2242.2
15832.0±1535.2
a
a
25860.9±2419.7
20524.9±6941.2
a
a
20406.7±2590.3
18930.0±2257.6
Farm C
abX
21782.5±3036.3
a
9611.9±738.06
b
26935.7±3850.1
ab
18196.2±4107.1
Means within the column followed by the same letters are not significantly different (p > 0.05) according
to Tukey’s honest significant difference at 5 % level. WHE - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM
treatment; WHC - Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure treatment; DAP - Diammonium
phosphate (Nitrogen fertilizer) and Control - No added fertilizer.
3.7 Soil and Compost Characteristics
Soil analyzed from the three farms had characteristics as tabulated on Table 12.
Table 12. Soil chemical properties for the four experimental farms in Korando B,
Kisumu before planting
Characteristic
pH
Texture (% S:L:C)
SOM (%)
N(%)
Av P (mg/kg)
-1
K (cmol kg )
-1
Ca (cmol kg )
-1
Na (cmol kg )
Farm A
6.4
20:80:0
1.89
0.11
23.7
2.82
14.0
0.09
Farm B
5.1
40:60:0
1.21
0.07
7.8
0.37
5.0
0.03
Farm C
6.5
20:20:60
2.28
0.12
42.3
2.12
10.0
0.17
SOM - Soil organic matter; N - Nitrogen; Av P - available Phosphorus; K - potassium; Ca - Calcium; Na sodium; S:L:C - Sand: Loam: Clay soil.
Compost with the various starter cultures physically turned into a black granular mass with a
characteristic pleasant scent after fifty days. The chemical characteristics of compost prepared
using different starter cultures were as shown in Table 13.
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13. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(4): 617-633, 2014
Table 13. Chemical composition of water hyacinth compost prepared for fifty days with
various starter cultures
Element
N (g/kg)
P (g/kg)
K (g/kg)
O.C (%)
pH (1:10)
Value for samples from various starter cultures
Manure
EM
Molasses
10.74
11.90
12.44
3.30
3.09
3.02
9.98
14.44
11.90
12.83
14.95
13.35
8.10
7.98
8.13
N - total nitrogen; P - total phosphorus; K - exchangeable potassium ions; O.C - Organic Carbon; manure
- Water hyacinth compost prepared using cattle manure; molasses - Water hyacinth compost prepared
using molasses; EM - Water hyacinth compost prepared using EM.
4. Discussion
Application of compost and DAP led to a higher shoot biomass compared to the control of
maize in the greenhouse probably due to the release of considerable amounts of nutrients,
especially nitrogen and phosphorus, to the plant during mineralization that were utilized in
chlorophyll formation for photosynthesis hence better plant development [4,18]. The higher
shoot dry weight recorded for maize plants grown on soil amended with DAP compared to
other treatments in all the farms at tasseling stage could be attributed to the availability of N
and P more readily in inorganic fertilizer compared to compost that releases its nutrients
slowly.
Compost contains high amounts of organic matter which could have increased the moisture
retention of soil, improved dissolution of nutrients particularly phosphorus and soil structure
hence better root growth and nutrient uptake [19]. Compost could have contained more
microbes compared to the other treatments hence improved the soil aeration thus better root
development. DAP also readily provided phosphorus that probably enhanced root
development thus the higher dry weight in maize in the greenhouse. A significant increase in
the root dry weight of plants with application of DAP has also been reported [18,20,21]. The
higher root dry weight of maize plants grown in amended soils in farm A could probably be
attributed to the improved dissolution of nutrients availed by the amendments and the high soil
organic matter content hence better root growth and development [22]. The readily available
phosphorus provided by DAP in soluble form could probably have been absorbed and utilized
by maize plants in root development hence significantly increased the root dry weight of plants
in phosphorus deficient farm B. The lower mean root dry weight of maize grown on soil
amended with compost prepared using EM and DAP in farm C compared to all other farms
could probably be attributed to its water logged nature of the soil as a result of the percentage
clay abundance in its soil.
Chemical fertilizers offer soluble nutrients which are instantly availed to the maize plants
hence perform significantly better compared to the control while compost provides the
nutrients slowly but steadily and improve the soil’s physical properties with time thus better
uptake of nutrients by the crop but the effects are not very significant compared to the control
especially at early stages of crop development [23]. This was observed in the height of maize
grown on soil amended with DAP and compost in the greenhouse on the thirtieth and forty
fifth day after emergence. The insignificant difference among treatments on the height of
maize plants on the fifteenth day in the greenhouse was probably as a result of the uniform
availability of natural nutrients in the potted soils since nutrients from the added fertilizer had
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not yet fully dissolved. Similar findings have been reported [24,25,26,27]. The insignificant
difference among treatments on the height of maize plants in farm A could probably have
been due to sufficient organic matter and slightly acidic soil pH that favoured microbial action
releasing the nutrients from the soil (Table 12) hence the effect of fertilizer amendments was
suppressed. This also explains their taller plants compared to maize plants from other farms
for any specific soil amendment. Farm B had the lowest amount of all nutrients and soil
organic matter (Table 12) hence the greater height of maize plants grown on amended soil
when compared to the control could be attributed to uptake of soluble nutrients from compost
and DAP by the maize hence increased growth [28]. Farm C had the highest soil organic
matter, pH, nitrogen and available phosphorus compared to other farms but the soil texture
that contained a higher percentage of clay soil (Table 12) and caused a high water holding
capacity probably led to poor soil aeration hence poor nutrient uptake by maize plants grown
on soil amended with compost prepared with cow manure.
DAP significantly increased the root collar diameter of maize plants in the greenhouse and in
all farms compared to the control due to the availability of soluble nutrients that were utilized
by the plants to build up their dry weights hence producing bigger plants with a statistically
higher root collar diameter. Similar findings were reported by [28,29]. Maize plants grown on
soil amended with compost had a higher root collar diameter in the greenhouse compared to
the control due to the nutrients released by compost slowly and in small amounts with time
[30]. Plants grown on soil amended with compost prepared using EM had a higher root collar
diameter in farm A and C compared to those grown on soil amended with compost prepared
with cow manure and the control probably due to the high organic matter in the soil and lower
acidity in addition to the presence of effective microbes in the compost that increased
microbial action hence faster release and absorption of nutrients from the compost. The
insignificant but higher root collar diameter of plants grown on soil amended with compost
prepared with EM compared to the control in farm B could probably be attributed to the high
acidity and low soil organic matter in their soil (Table 12) hence reduced microbial action thus
slow release of nutrients.
Farm A and C had a higher maize grain yield compared to B probably due to the higher
amount of N and P in the soil (Table 12) which are the essential minerals required for plant
growth and development thus no significant effect of the soil amendments. The pH in farm A
and C was less acidic compared to farm B hence favoured nitrification by soil bacteria and
was suitable for the production of maize [31]. In farm B, poor grain yield of maize was
recorded compared to farm A and C probably due to lack of sufficient nitrogen in the soil
analyzed before planting (Table 12) which stressed the plant especially at the initial growth
stages thus poor growth and development. The high acidity of the soil in farm B could have
caused phosphorus fixation and reduced microbial action of the available nitrogen and
ammonia to absorbable nitrates which made the nutrient unavailable to maize plants hence no
significant difference between the treated plots and the control was observed [18,32].
However, compost prepared with cow manure effectively regulated the soil’s acidity probably
by binding the exchangeable aluminium ions in the acidic soils besides releasing plant
nutrients slowly hence equally produced higher maize grain yield compared to the control in
farm B [33,34]. Continuous application of compost over time has been reported to produce
significantly better results compared to inorganic fertilizer due to its slow but steady release of
nutrients but not in the first season of application [30]. The lower yields observed in maize
plants grown on soils amended with water hyacinth compost prepared using EM compared to
the control in farm B could have been due to reduced nitrification rates and phosphorus
fixation in the acidic soil that rendered N and P unavailable for plant uptake [33].
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There was no significant difference in the weight of 100 maize seeds among various
treatments probably due to the fact that all of them were of the same maize variety. Similar
results were reported [27,35]. However, maize grains from Farm A and C had a higher dry
weight compared to B probably due to the higher amount of N and P in the soil (Table 12)
which are the essential minerals required for grain development.
The stover weight after harvest was higher in maize plants grown in soil amended with DAP
compared to other amendments probably due to the release of considerable amounts of
nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, to the plant during mineralization that were
utilized for photosynthesis hence better plant development [18].
5. CONCLUSION
Water hyacinth compost increased the growth parameters of maize. This is therefore an
indicator of better yields if proper farm management is practiced under favourable
environmental conditions. DAP also performs well in crop production but its adverse effects on
the soil and the environment makes its use undesirable. Although the field results indicate that
maize production without fertilizer application in some farms is possible, there is fear that
without replenishment, the macronutrients could be depleted leading to low yields. Therefore,
compost from water hyacinth which is locally available, plentiful and cost free can be
effectively used as an organic soil amendment for soil restoration and crop production. The
effects of water hyacinth compost on soil characteristics will be reported in an independent
paper.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank Sida and IUCEA/VicRes for funding this project.
COMPETING INTERESTS
Authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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