CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOST

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study the chemical and physical properties of compost with different materials. These properties include: pH, EC, total organic carbon, total organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, C/N ratio, bulk density, moisture content, water holding capacity and porosity. The pH value ranged from 6.3 to 7.8 and EC values ranged from 2.6 to 4.1 dS m-1 for different compost types. The total organic carbon values ranged from 16.6 to 23.89 %. The total organic matter values ranged from 28.60 to 41.20 %. The total nitrogen values ranged from 0.95 to 1.68 %. The total phosphorus and total potassium values ranged from 0.27 to 1.13 % and 0.27 to 2.11 %, respectively, for different compost types. The C/N ratio values ranged from 14.22:1 to 18.52:1. The bulk density value ranged from 420 to 655 kg m-3. The moisture content values ranged from 23.50 to 32.10 %. The water holding capacity values ranged from 3.50 to 4.40 g water/g dry. The porosity values ranged from 60.69 to 72.47 % for different compost types. Keywords chemical properties; physical properties - compost