Evaluating the influence of organic source of wastes from sugar estateson durum wheat (Triticum durum L.assassa) production and soil quality on Vertisols

Abstract

The ever escalating prices of chemical fertilizers for the poor farming communities forced the researcher to find an alternative means to provide sufficient food for the ever increasing human populationin Ethiopia. Though the use of organic wastes as a soil amendment and improvement on soil quality has been a well established fact,little has been done in Ethiopia especially in connection with wastes generated from sugar estates. Accordingly, this experiment was conducted on wastes collected from two long serving sugar estates in Ethiopiaso as to assess their effects on durum wheat performance and soil quality on Vertisols. The ashes and filter cakes along with the recommended NP rates and compost prepared from the local materials were evaluated against the control for their influence on the production of durum wheat (Triticum durum L. assassa) and on selected soil physico-chemical properties using RCBD experimental design with three replications.The analytical results indicated that these wastes do have a potential that can be served as a soil amendment as they provide organic matter, exchangeable bases and micronutrients which have not been considered in Ethiopian Agriculture previously.

Keywords: Ash, compost, filter cake, soil amendments, soil quality