Composting is an alternative for recycling biodegradable organic waste, transforming it into organic fertilizer that can be used as agricultural nutrients, avoiding its disposal in landfills. This study evaluated the composting of household organic waste as a substitution for cattle manure, with a view to its application in the fertilization of cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum Mill., Var. Cesariforme). Thus, compost piles were set up using 30% organic waste (carbon source) and 70% tree-pruning residues (filling material). Two sources of organic waste were tested: household food waste (FW) and cattle manure (CM), at five proportions (15% FW + 15% CM, 10% FW + 20% CM, 20% FW + 10% CM and the controls 30% CM and 30% FW). After 90 days, the mature compost from each pile was mixed with coconut fibre in a 1:1 ratio and used as substrate filled in 15 L plastic pots, where the cherry tomato plants were grown. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions in a randomized block design, with five treatments and five replicates. Assessments of growth and leaf mineral composition were performed for the cherry tomato plants. The results indicate that cattle manure can be replaced by household food waste as the organic material used in compost piles. Fertilization with organic compost from household food waste positively influenced the growth and nutrient assimilation in the leaf tissue of cherry tomato.

The consolidation of a wide and effective management system of solid residues, especially biodegradable ones, is one of the great challenges of current society. Composting was evaluated as an option of organic fertilization for soil enrichment, using raw food residues in substitution to bovine manure. The compost piles were built with 30% of biodegradable residues mixed with 70% of ground tree pruning material. The effects of different proportions of food residues (FR) and bovine manure (BM) as source of carbon were tested in 5 treatments (T 1 = 15%BM + 15%FR, T 2 = 20%BM + 10%FR, T 3 = 10%BM + 20%FR, T 4 = 30%BM and T 5 = control, 30%FR), in randomized blocks, under open field conditions for 90 days. The pH, temperature and moisture content of the compost were measured weekly. The aged compost was evaluated for physicochemical and microbiological properties and carbon contents in the humic substances. The analyses of the results indicated that all studied composts reached the maturation stage with satisfactory contents of humic substances, macronutrients, and micronutrients, indicating that food residues can be used as a source of carbon in compost piles to produce organic fertilizers. The contents of the evaluated chemical contaminants were much lower than those established in the main legislation and current normative instructions and, in terms of contamination by pathogens, there was the absence of total coliforms, thermo tolerant coliforms, and Salmonellas.

The semi-arid region has long periods of drought, so reusing water is an important alternative to enable irrigated agriculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and mineral composition of papaya and passion fruit seedlings irrigated with gray water effluents. Two experiments were carried out with papaya and passion fruit seedlings. For nondestructive analyses, the experimental arrangement was in splitplots in time, with plots consisting of three types of irrigation water (gray water effluent; supply water and mixture of gray water and supply water, at 1:1 ratio) and subplots formed by the evaluation times 30, 60 and 75 days after sowing, with three replicates and five plants per replicate. For destructive analyses, the experimental arrangement was a simple randomized block design, with three treatments, corresponding to the irrigation waters, with three replicates and five plants per replicate. The seedlings irrigated with gray water effluent had higher values of plant height, stem diameter, length of the largest root, shoot dry mass and root dry mass. N, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn contents in the tissue of papaya seedlings, cv. ‘Golden’, were not altered by irrigation with gray water effluent. N, Fe and Zn contents in the tissue of passion fruit seedlings, cv. ‘Redondo Amarelo’, were increased by the application of gray water effluent, while P, K, Ca, Mg and Mn contents were not influenced.

El compostaje se presenta como una alternativa para reciclar residuos sólidos orgánicos biodegradables, transformarlos en fertilizantes para la agricultura y evitar su deposición inadecuada en rellenos sanitarios. De esta forma, el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la calidad físico-química y microbiológica de un compost producido a partir de residuos orgánicos y su desempeño en el desarrollo y productividad del cultivo de lechuga crespa (Lactuca sativa L.), en condiciones de invernadero. La materia prima del compostaje fueron residuos orgánicos domiciliares (restos de alimentos) y estiércol de bovino en proporción 1:1. Para la construcción de los montículos de compost, los residuos orgánicos fueron mezclados con podas de árboles triturados. Diferentes concentraciones de compost madurado, 20, 40, 60, 80 y 100%, fueron incluidos en el sustrato de lechuga en un diseño de bloques al azar con tres repeticiones. Los resultados mostraron que el compost orgánico producido presentó características físico-químicas y microbiológicas dentro de los rangos de utilización agronómica y su adición en el sustrato de fibra de coco, favoreció la producción de lechuga, promoviendo un incremento de 63% en la altura de plantas y 75% en el número de hojas.

The volume of biodegradable solid waste and its inadequate disposal have led to serious environmental problems, requiring efficient measures that prioritize the recycling of these wastes, promoting sustainability. The objective of this research was to monitor the behavior of physical parameters during the organic waste composting process. For this, 5 piles of organic waste were built through the composting technique developed according to the windrow method. The piles were composed of 70% of plant material, and 30% varied between manure and food remains. The piles were composed of 70% of plant material, and 30% varied between manure and food remains. The proportions were: I pile, 1:1 (15% manure and 15% rest of food); Pile II, 2:1 (20% manure and 10% rest of food); Cell III, 1:2 (10% manure and 20% rest of food); (30% manure and 0% rest of food) and the V pile in the ratio of 0:3 (0% manure and 30% rest of food). The evaluated parameters were temperature, moisture, pH, TOC, TN and C/N ratio. During the process of compost maturation, the parameters evaluated were kept within the established standards for the composting process.