PHYSICAL CHARACTERISATION OF THREE COMPOSTS MIXED WITH ONION WASTES | Journal of Global Agriculture

Compost made from organic waste is increasingly being utilised in horticulture as an organic amendment or seedling substrate. The goal of this study was to examine the physical quality of three composts made from waste mixtures of onion, alfalfa, and bovine manure after six months of composting: OMA onion-manure-alfalfa, OM onion-manure, and OA onion-alfalfa. For natural compost measurements, three duplicates of each combination were sampled, resulting in a volume of 10 L. The particle distribution was more uniform in EC, with 41% of particles in the middle portion, but OMA (28%) and OA (57%) did not have good particle distribution. The OM (50%) and OA (49%) composts had the highest index aeration capacity and water retention, while the 80 percent OMA compost had the lowest. In the three composts tested, total pore space (EFA) values ranging from 70 to 80 percent would be ideal for air and water circulation, permitting healthy root development. The three compost's substrate density (Ds) ranged from 500 to 700 kg m-3, but the real density or particles (Dp) values of 2.360, 2.312, and 2.291 kg m-3 for OMA, OM, and OA, respectively, were in line with the authors' recommendations for usage as a growth substrate. The aeration capacity (30% for OMA, 24 percent for OA, and 26 percent for OA) were all within acceptable limits. Water retention capacity (WRC) was 40 percent (OMA), 46 percent (OM), and 47 percent (OA), which were lower than the required levels for substrates. The findings show that the OM Onions and composted cow dung would be ideal for use as a component of seedling substrate and/or compost in horticultural production.

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