An Evaluation of ‘Vinasse’ (Bio-Ethanol Effluent) and Vermicompost as Soil Amendments for Cash Crop Production

Abstract

The indiscriminate application of various inorganic fertilizers has triggered many soil, water and health issues around the world. Due to the extent of these concerns, various forms of organic fertilizers have since been explored. This study sought to establish the suitability of two organic composites (vinasse and vermicompost) as fertilizers in cash crop production. The crops selected were leafy vegetables from the Class of Magnoliopsida and included Brassica rappa spp. Chinesis (pakchoi), Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage). The response of these crops to four fertilization regimes (control -no fertilizers, vermicompost, vinasse and NPK) were monitored. Upon harvesting, data regarding weight of plants and number of leaves were recorded and analyzed. There was a 35.8%, 15.6% and a 20.7% greater yield of lettuce, pakchoi and cabbage, when vinasse was used as the fertilizer, as compared with NPK. With vermicompost, there were 19.5% and 5.2% higher yields for lettuce and cabbage with a 15.6% reduction of yield for pakchoi as compared with NPK. Considering the increased yield demonstrated from this study coupled with the environmental, soil and crop nutrient benefits posited by other researchers, vinasse and vermicompost should be utilized as an organic replacement for inorganic fertilizers.