Production of Organic Compost from Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes [Mart.] Solms) in the Lake Victoria Basin: A Lake Victoria Research Initiative (VicRes
Abstract
The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) supports one of the poorest and most
populous rural populations in the East Africa region. The dipping fsh
population has forced the community around the Lake Victoria to turn to
farming for food crops to meet its daily food demands. Chemical fertilizer
which is readily available has been the alternative source of improving soil
condition which has led to eutrophication of the lake waters causing the
temperature to rise in the process affecting most freshwater animals and
plants. This process also encourages large volumes of algae and other
biomass such as water hyacinth to fourish. The use of the algae bloom
and water hyacinth to provide an alternative ecologically friendly and
sustainable source of soil nutrients is imperative. This study utilized water
hyacinth (H) to develop compost as a potential soil improvement source.
Using four different composting treatments of water hyacinth biomass
(H only control, H+ cattle manure, H+EM, H+ Molasses) there was no
signifcant difference in the assessed nutrients at P<0.05 in the various
treatment. There was though a higher increase in P at a non-signifcant
level at P<0.05 in H control, H+ cattle manure, H+EM compared with
the H+ Molasses treatment. H+ Cattle Manure and H control treatment
also generated high K levels and relative to the other treatments. Overall
the project exhibited high level of P, N and exchangeable K in the four
hyacinth compost treatment with an alkaline pH of between 7.38-8.13. The
project also determined the optimal composting conditions with highest
temperature of about 38o
C observed at day 5 to 20 from the onset of
the decomposition all the treatments. The temperature stabilized at about
24o
C till the 58th day. Resulting in increase of essential elements in Water
Hyacinth Organic compost makes it an important source for control of
acidic soil pH and soil nutrient replenisher
URI
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Muoma-3/publication/312158982_Production_of_Organic_Compost_from_Water_Hyacinth_Eichhornia_crassipes_Mart_Solms_in_the_Lake_Victoria_Basin_A_Lake_Victoria_Research_Initiative_VicRes/links/5873238008ae329d621bc6b2/Production-of-Organic-Compost-from-Water-Hyacinth-Eichhornia-crassipes-Mart-Solms-in-the-Lake-Victoria-Basin-A-Lake-Victoria-Research-Initiative-VicRes.pdfhttp://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2332
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