Enhancing compost quality with bacillus bacteria

Leveraging cocoa shells and banana pseudostems

Authors

  • Angela Margarita Basurto Salazar Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí Manuel Félix López, Ecuador
  • Génesis Mariana Vélez Calderón Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí Manuel Félix López, Ecuador
  • Jonathan Gerardo Chicaiza Intriago Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí Manuel Félix López, Ecuador

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13135/2384-8677/10803

Keywords:

Pollution, phytotoxicity, agricultural waste, environmental management.

Abstract

Agricultural waste pollutes natural resources, impacting soil fertility, biodiversity, and CO2 levels. Composting offers an alternative solution. This study evaluated Bacillus albus and Bacillus wiedmannii for composting banana pseudostem and cocoa shell waste. The experiment, divided into 4 treatments, found both residues to be slightly acidic. The pseudostem had higher moisture content (30.5%) compared to the cocoa shell (12.3%). During composting, temperature peaked at 33.7°C and ended at 25.5°C, with a final pH of 7.4 and moisture of 42%. Using statistical analysis, treatments T3 (cocoa shell/B. wiedmannii) and T4 displayed the best results for various parameters. Additionally, T4 showed significant improvement in NPK content. Germination and root growth tests with cucumber seeds revealed no phytotoxicity, highlighting the effectiveness of composting for waste management and its potential use in agriculture.

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Published

2024-12-10

Issue

NEW Visions online

Section

Original Papers