Articles
Use of pitahaya by-product for the production of organic amendments
Article number
1452_64
Pages
491 – 498
Language
English
Abstract
The cultivation of pitahaya has experienced a growing expansion in recent years due, among other things, to the search for crops with low water requirements and also because of the physico-chemical, nutritional and organoleptic properties of the fruit which are highly demanded by consumers.
This increase in production is associated with the generation of waste from both packing facilities and agri-food industries based on this fruit, which contains high concentrations of bioactive compounds, both in the flesh and the skin.
Vermicomposting is a way of using and reusing organic waste for agronomic purposes, where the digestion of this material through the joint action of microorganisms and earthworms results in an organic amendment with high porosity, aeration, drainage capacity and good microbial activity.
For this purpose, a test was carried out to check, on the one hand, the suitability of the fruit as food for vermicomposting processes and, on the other hand, the agronomic properties of the resulting humus.
The treatments applied were T1) whole pitaya, T2) pitaya skin, and T3) organic domestic waste, using as carbon-rich material sawdust residues from a local industry.
During the vermicomposting process, the feeding, temperature and humidity of the substrate were controlled, and intermediate and final controls were carried out to determine the chemical composition and bioactive compounds of the humus, as well as the number of worms in each treatment.
All treatments had a positive effect on the development of the earthworm population.
However, the whole fruit treatment showed a significantly higher earthworm density (942 earthworms L‑1) compared to the other two treatments (T2: 396 worms L‑1; T3: 527 worms L‑1). Bioactive compounds from the raw material seemed to be degraded along the vermicomposting process, however they are present in certain quantities in the resulting humus.
This increase in production is associated with the generation of waste from both packing facilities and agri-food industries based on this fruit, which contains high concentrations of bioactive compounds, both in the flesh and the skin.
Vermicomposting is a way of using and reusing organic waste for agronomic purposes, where the digestion of this material through the joint action of microorganisms and earthworms results in an organic amendment with high porosity, aeration, drainage capacity and good microbial activity.
For this purpose, a test was carried out to check, on the one hand, the suitability of the fruit as food for vermicomposting processes and, on the other hand, the agronomic properties of the resulting humus.
The treatments applied were T1) whole pitaya, T2) pitaya skin, and T3) organic domestic waste, using as carbon-rich material sawdust residues from a local industry.
During the vermicomposting process, the feeding, temperature and humidity of the substrate were controlled, and intermediate and final controls were carried out to determine the chemical composition and bioactive compounds of the humus, as well as the number of worms in each treatment.
All treatments had a positive effect on the development of the earthworm population.
However, the whole fruit treatment showed a significantly higher earthworm density (942 earthworms L‑1) compared to the other two treatments (T2: 396 worms L‑1; T3: 527 worms L‑1). Bioactive compounds from the raw material seemed to be degraded along the vermicomposting process, however they are present in certain quantities in the resulting humus.
Authors
M. Casla, E. Arco, G.L. Díaz-Delgado, E. Dorta, V. Raya
Keywords
vermicompost, earthworm, bioactive compounds, waste management, circular economy
Groups involved
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