SAWDUST AND RICE HUSK BIOCOMPOSTS: COMPARATIVE EFFECTS ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND GROWTH OF FLUTED PUMPKIN (Telfairia occidentalis)
Keywords:
Organic Amendment, Cation Exchange Capacity, Lignocellulosic Waste Valorization, Priming EffectAbstract
Organic farming is gaining renewed attention as sustainable and cost-effective alternative to synthetic fertilizer. This study evaluated the impact of sawdust and rice husk biocomposts on soil physicochemical dynamics, and growth performance of Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis). Samples of raw sawdust and rice husks were heaped with unrefined crude sugar (Gur) as carbon starter, and wheat bran (choker) as nutritional accelerator, and moisturized for 3-4 days. The components were mixed with gypsum and re-piled for 10-12 days. The resulting biocomposts were air-dried and subjected to chemical profiling using standard laboratory procedures. The Fluted Pumpkin seeds were sown in the soils amended with 500 g of the biocomposts, and the unamended soil as the Control. The results showed significantly higher Nitrogen (p < 0.001), Sodium (p = 0.001), Potassium (p < 0.001), Zinc (p < 0.001) and Copper (p < 0.001) in the sawdust compost than the rice husk; while Magnesium, Phosphorus and Iron were higher in the rice husk (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the amended soils were observed to have higher mineral nutrients than the unammended soil with a significant rise in Cation Exchange Capacity and Electrical Conductivity (p < 0.05). On the growth performance of T. occidentalis, rice husk compost produced significantly longer vines and more tendrils, while the sawdust promoted vegetative yield and biomass weight (p < 0.05). The biocomposts produced in this study significantly improved soil properties and the growth responses of T. occidentalis confirming their value as sustainable pathways for waste-to-wealth agricultural systems.
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