Enhancement of growth and yield of Maize (Zea mays L.) using cocompost pellets with biochar

Abstract

Abstract— Waste generation and complexity is increasing due to urbanization and absence of proper solid waste management system in developing countries. Co-composted organic fractions of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) with Dewatered Fecal Sludge (DFS) has a high potential to use as an agricultural resource in Sri Lanka. Oil palm Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) has become a rising environmental and economic problem and it is a potential source for biochar feedstock. This study was focused on utilization of EFB as a biochar in amending sandy loam soil and evaluating performance of maize (Zea mays L.) fertilized with co-compost pellets (CCP). The experiment was carried out at the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Development Centre, Makandura. The growth and yield characteristics of maize plants were used to assess the effect of pelletized forms of different CCP. Randomized completely block design with four blocks and seven treatments namely MSW+DFS CCP with 30% available Nitrogen (T2) and 100% available Nitrogen (T3), MSW+DFS+biochar CCP with 30% available Nitrogen (T4) and 100% available Nitrogen (T5), MSW+DFS+Mineral enriched CCP (T6) and MSW+DFS+Biochar+Mineral enriched CCP (T7) were compared with mineral fertilizer recommendation by Department of Agriculture (DOA) of Sri Lanka (T1) as control. Significantly higher yield could be obtained under stress weather conditions with T2 against the control. The yield was increased by 22% over current mineral fertilizer recommendation of DOA. It could be concluded that harvest of 4.5 to 6.3 tons ha-1 could be achieved by amending soil with 42 tons ha-1 of MSW+DFS CCP with 30% available Nitrogen.

Keywords— Biochar, Co-compost, Pellets, Zea mays L.