Effect of enriched municipal solid waste compost application on growth, plant nutrient uptake and yield of rice

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India, to study the effect of Enriched Municipal Solid Waste Compost (EMSWC) application on growth, plant nutrient uptake and yield of rice in RBD during the year of 2004. The growth attributes viz., plant height, leaf area index, number of tillers and dry matter production differed significantly due to different treatments. These attributes increased significantly owing to the application of enriched compost, which has enhanced nutrient level, which leads to the continuous availability of nutrients in available form to the plants. The highest grain yield and straw yield were observed in the treatment combination of 25% of enriched compost and 75% of recommended dose of inorganic fertilizer (T5) with value of 5.22 and 8.65 t ha-1, respectively. Application of 5 t ha-1 enriched MSWC in combination with 25% N through inorganic fertilizer recorded grain yield of 4.33 t ha-1. The lowest grain yield (3.78 t ha-1) was recorded in treatment where the compost was applied alone. © 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information.