Charcoal and manure compost combo grows bigger tomatoes
Mulugeta G, Alayu E, Alemayehu YA
Composting
If you've got a bag of leftover grill charcoal and a compost bin, this study suggests combining charcoal with manure-based compost could give your tomato plants a real nutrient boost.
Researchers in Ethiopia mixed liquid leftover from biogas digesters (called bioslurry) with charcoal and composted the two together to make a new kind of fertilizer. When they grew tomatoes in pots with this mix, the plants with charcoal added produced almost as much fruit as those given standard chemical fertilizer. It's a promising way to turn two waste products into something useful for growing food and building healthier soil.
Key Findings
Tomato yield reached 2.87 kg per pot with bioslurry plus 10% charcoal compost, nearly matching the 2.73 kg per pot from standard inorganic fertilizer.
The co-composted fertilizers had pH between 8.9 and 9.63 and organic carbon content as high as 65.6%, indicating rich nutrient and carbon loading.
Principal component analysis linked nutrient availability directly to tomato growth and yield traits, and heat maps showed the compost treatments raised soil nutrient and carbon levels overall.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Mixing composted cow manure liquid with charcoal made a fertilizer that boosted tomato yields in pot trials, offering a way to recycle farm and cooking waste into better soil instead of letting it pollute the environment.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Synergetic effect of bioslurry and charcoal co - composted fertilizers on soil properties and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) productivity.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely cultivated and economically important vegetable crops worldwide, contributing significantly to food security. However, its low productivity r...
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