BIOWASTE COMPOST - AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF NUTRIENTS FOR AGRICULTURAL CROPS

Important amounts of biowaste are produced daily both in the rural and urban areas of Romania. Composting is the most sustainable way for their treatment, and compost can be used as fertilizer, including in organic agriculture if it meets specific quality standards. The agronomic value of the compost is given by the macronutrient and organic matter content, and its quality by the absence of phytotoxic compounds (heavy metals and other pollutants), and the absence of pathogens for humans, animals and plants. This paper presents part of the results of a study made to characterize the agronomic value of three types of compost (a. poultry manure + cereal straw; b. poultry manure + vegetable food waste; c. biodegradable household waste). Mixtures of compost and soil were made where the compost was integrated in proportions of 25, 50 and 75% g/g. A test plant, oats (Avena sativa L.), was cultivated in the greenhouse, in pots, on the mixtures made. The intake of macronutrients (N, P, K, Mg, Ca) was analyzed in biomass samples, harvested at the grain filling stage.