PERFORMANCE OF HOUSEHOLD SOLID WASTE COMPOST ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF STEM AMARANTH (Amaranthus cruentus L.)

Abstract

Household solid waste (HSW) can be managed in an environmentally feasible way by preparing compost and using them to produce organic vegetables in kitchen yard or rooftop garden for family consumption. An experiment was conducted at the Agroforestry Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207 during the period of 27 March to 16 May, 2020 to study the performance of Household Solid Waste Compost (HSWC) with five levels viz., T 0 (no compost), T 1 ii

(20% compost), T 2 (40% compost) and T 3

(50% compost) and also T 4 which was 100% RDF (Recommended Dose of Fertilizer) on the growth and yield of stem amaranth. The one factor experiment was laid out in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. The maximum plant height 74.15 cm, plant diameter 1.89 cm, green yield per plant 166 gm were observed in T 4

at 50 DAS. The minimum plant height 21.67 cm, plant diameter 1.06 cm, green yield per plant 48.66 gm were obtained from T 0 at 50 DAS. The performance of HSW Compost was determined by the experiment among T 1 , T 2 and T 3 where treatment T 2

produced maximum plant height by producing 71.33 cm of plant height, diameter 1.89 cm, leaves number 36.83 and green yield was 160gm. In cases of seed germination, stem diameter, leaf number, green weight and dry weight T 4 and T 2 were statistically similar and T 1 , T 2 and T 3 showed significant positive effect compared to T 0 . So treatment T 2 is preferable for organic cultivation in homestead or rooftop garden.