EFFECTS OF COMBINE APPLICATION OF COMPOSTED RICE STRAW AND INORGANIC FERTILIZER ON SOIL HEALTH AND TOMATOES YIELD
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EFFECTS OF COMBINE APPLICATION OF COMPOSTED RICE STRAW AND INORGANIC FERTILIZER ON SOIL HEALTH AND TOMATOES YIELD
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Information.
Too much inorganic fertiliser use has resulted in low soil pH, reducing the availability of vital nutrients to plants (Mokaya 2016, Singh et al., 2015; Cheng-Wei Liu et al., 2014).
This leads in slow breakdown of organic materials. It also causes micronutrient depletion, which results in the production of nutritionally poor food (Rashid et al., 2016; Brar et al., 2015).
Unless the issue is resolved, the soil will soon become unproductive. Organic matter is essential for increasing the soil’s buffering capacity and releasing nutrients to the plant.
Liming raises the pH of the soil, but it is an expensive process that adds no nutrients. There is a need for an alternative to the use of inorganic fertilisers and liming agents.
The rising human population has not only increased land overuse, but has also resulted in low yields, causing forest cover to encroach, resulting in less rainfall (Liu et al., 2017; Kitula et al., 2015). As a result, there is a need to find an alternative to inorganic fertilisers that will also improve forest cover.
Even when mineral fertilisers are available and inexpensive to farmers, their use alone in restoring damaged soils has produced minimal farming results (Schröder et al., 2018; Goulding et al., 2016).
Organic nitrogen and phosphorus, due to their biogenic origin (Kiyoshi et al., 2017; Kopytko et al., 2017), have the advantage of being released slowly and steadily to supply crop nitrogen needs at all phases of growth.
In contrast, nitrogen in soluble mineral fertilisers is rapidly released, and some of it may be lost by leaching, particularly if the rate of release exceeds plant absorption.
According to Duong (2013) and Masunga et al. (2015), composts created from organic waste provide plant nutrients in a gradual manner. When used on farms, they boost soil organic matter, slowly release organic nutrients, and reduce luxury consumption (Bley et al., 2017).
Mutezo (2013) found that corn-cob compost is effective in minimising the negative effects of acidity on plants in acid red soil. The successful application of organic manures has encouraged additional study into developing organic nutrient sources that can supplement or even outperform the expensive mineral fertiliser formulations used in crop cultivation.
This study aims to look into the impact of a combination of inorganic fertilisers and organic manure (composted rice straw) on soil health and tomato yield.
1.2 Statement Of The Problem and Justification.
The continued cultivation of shrinking fields to feed the rising population has resulted in soil deterioration and, as a result, an increase in the usage of inorganic fertilisers to boost agricultural output. Because inorganic fertilisers are acidic in nature, they tend to affect soil pH over time.
Lowering soil pH has a negative effect on plant and soil organism growth, resulting in reduced projected yields. This is because acid deposition causes critical nutrients like potassium to be leached (Duan et al., 2016; Goulding et al., 2016).
Inorganic fertilisers are expensive, making them out of reach for the majority of rural farmers, who are women. Furthermore, inorganic fertilisers are not always available, particularly those that are subsidised, resulting in late planting and low yields.
Studies on composted rice straw have indicated that it increases soil pH and crop biomass, potentially due to nutrient availability (Wiklund, 2017; Carter et al., 2013).
Research Objectives:
1.3.1 General Objective
To study the impact of a combination of composted rice straw and inorganic fertiliser on soil health and tomato yield.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
To assess the impact of composted rice straw and inorganic fertiliser on soil health.
To examine the impact of leaf extracts from composted rice straw and inorganic fertiliser on tomato yield.
To assess the influence of composted rice straw and inorganic fertiliser on soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels.
1.4 Hypotheses.
Soil acidity decreases when treated with composted rice straw and inorganic fertiliser.
The use of composted rice straw and inorganic fertiliser has a substantial effect on tomato growth rate and productivity.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The purpose of this study was to determine whether composted rice straw might be used as a fertiliser alternative. A positive outcome will allow poor farmers to increase tomato growth rate and nutritional value, earning cash.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study will look at how composted rice straw and inorganic fertiliser affect soil health and tomato yield. The study will be limited to the University of Port Harcourt’s campus, with all experiments taking place there.
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