Suitability of Rice Husk and Chicken Droppings as Organic Fertilizer for Sustainable Agriculture in Ghana
Keywords:
Rice husk, chicken droppings, compost, field experiment, organic fertilizerAbstract
This study experiments the suitability of using rice husk and chicken droppings to produce organic fertilizer. This is achieved by composting rice husk and chicken droppings mixture in treatment ratios of 2:0, 2:1, 2:2 and 2:3 by volume, with an objective to establish the optimum combination ratio which can produce the highest total nitrogen content and a low carbon to nitrogen ratio acceptable in farming. The study utilizes a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The experiment involves four treatments with three replicates. The treatments are done by increasing the volume of mixture of chicken droppings added to rice husk waste. Water, comprising 40% by volume of rice husk and chicken droppings mixture is also added to all treatments. The total organic carbon and total nitrogen content of composting materials are analyzed after every 28 day and on the last day of composting. Finished compost quality in terms of total nitrogen content, are significantly increased by enriching rice husk waste with chicken droppings, while the carbon to nitrogen ratio are significantly reduced in most treatments. Analysis of the results shows that the best treatment combination are mixing rice husk waste with chicken droppings at the ratio of 2:2 and 2:3. The treatment combination ratio of 2:2 has 2.26% of the total nitrogen content, which is higher than the treatment combination ratio of 2:3 which has 2.23% of the total nitrogen content while both treatments have C:N ratio of below 20 which is acceptable in organic fertilizer production for use in agriculture. The conclusion is that composting rice husk and chicken droppings mixture in treatment ratio of 2:2 is the best for use on farms to improve nutrient of soils for plants utilization.
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