Browsing by Author "Asamoah, Josephine Emefa"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effects of different composts on the performance of green beans
    (2015-11-08) Asamoah, Josephine Emefa
    Composting of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has received renewed attention as a result of increasing waste disposal cost and the environmental concerns associated with using landfills. A targeted end use of the compost is for horticultural crop production. Currently, quality standards for MSW compost are lacking and there is the need to establish them. Elevated heavy metal concentrations in MSW compost have been reported; however, through proper sorting and recycling prior to composting, contamination by heavy metals can be reduced Compost has been shown to be useful in horticultural crop production as it improves soil physical properties, such as lowering bulk density and increasing water-holding capacity. Compost enhances supply of essential nutrients to some extent. However, supplemental fertilizer, particularly N, is usually required. A pilot dry digestion composting plant was thus established on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi by The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) supported by the Zurich University of Applied Science. The setup was to assess the effectiveness of processing of organic municipal waste to obtain biogas for domestic use and digestate for the purposes of composting. The different composts obtained were then used in planting green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). The aim of this work was to assess the effects of the different composts on the performance of green beans. Results of this work identified and highlighted the superiority of fertilized crops over non-fertilized ones in terms of growth and dry matter accumulation. A long term research should be carried out on the effects of prolonged use of composts produced by vermicomposting, co-composting and windrow composting on crop and soil. Public awareness on the effects of compost on soil, crop yield and environment should be intensified.