Resource Technologies

The raw materials (banana leaves, pseudo stem and rhizomes) were tested for their nutrient contents and the results are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Nutrient content of banana wastes

The change in the temperature during the process is an indication of the composting process taking place. The temperature change in the pseudostem of each set was taken as typical temperature range for the entire set. In Figure 1, the changes in the temperature as noted for the composting of pseudostem are indicated.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of Banana plant waste compost for its nutrients was done by plantation of ladies finger and radish plants. The growth and nutrient contents of these two species with Banana plant waste compost waste analyzed and compared with the control plants that were grown without compost application. For plantation of crops the field soil must be porous in nature for easy root growth. Preferably red soil is suitable for cultivation of ladies finger and radish. The field selected was feasible for irrigation. The field was ploughed in the form of ridges and furrows. The compost was dried and powdered and used for plantation. About ½ Kg of compost for a row of 10 seeds was used; two rows were seeded. Two rows of control plants without compost were also seeded. Soil sample was analyzed for its nutrients. Plants were watered for every 3 days. Plants were tested for nutrients and chemical characteristics.In order to evaluate the compost´s effectiveness, it was applied for plant cultivation and the plant growth rate and other parameters were tested and the results are tabulated in Table 1.

Table 1 Chemical and nutrient analysis of ladies finger and radish plants

The shoot growth rate of ladies finger and radish grown using compost 1, compost 2 and that of the control plants were measured and the same are presented in Table 2

It is concluded that application of banana plant waste results in faster growth, increased yield with higher nutrients. This type of composting paves way for waste utilization as well as reuse of waste into wealth.