Composting maturity and application on plant growth from selected waste mixtures

Abstract

In this study, composting method has been used to degrade selected waste to improve soil quality in order to use for plant growth. Waste that have been used as substrates in this study were food waste, cow manure and spent mushroom substrate. The ratio of the selected wastes have been manipulated among the six mode in which each mode affect the nutrient content for composting product into soil that been used for plant growth. After composting process, the maturity of the composting product was tested by using direct seed germination to observe the level of toxicity exist in the composting product which result in low toxic substance in mode A and F which was 0%. These two selected mode were used for further analysis which is NPK value and application on mustard plant growth. Next, NPK value were analysed in selected composted soil found that very low content of those nutrient which affect the growth of mustard plant. Both mode have the same nitrogen and potassium content which was 0.1% of nitrogen and 0.2 ppm of potassium content. However, there was slight difference for phosphorus content where mode A have 0.4 ppm and mode F has 0.6 ppm of phosphorus content. Due to the result, ratio of composting substrates manipulated have affected the maturity of the soil hence influenced the nutrient content in the soil which contribute to mustard plant growth.