Some Physical and Chemical Properties of Compost

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to study the physical and chemical properties of compost made of different row materials. These materials are cattle manure, herbal plants residues and sugar cane plants residues. These properties include: bulk density, moisture content, water holding capacity, porosity, pH, EC, total organic carbon, total organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium and C/N ratio. 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. 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.