Spinach powder as soil conditioner enhances physiochemical properties of soil and growth characteristics of Solanum melongena

Authors

• Hifza Javed ¹
• Shazia Iram * ¹
• Barira Bilal ¹
• Tehreem Tassawar ¹

• Laboratory of Mycology and Ecotoxicology, Department of Environmental Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Women Uni-versity, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose (i) To evaluate the efficacy of spinach in dry powdered and liquid form as a sustainable substitute for chemical fertilizers; (ii) To analyze and compare the morphological and yield-related parameters of Solanum melongena plants using spinach powder and compost as compared to the control treatment.
Method In a pot experiment, Solanum melongena seeds were sowed in soil mixed with spinach powder and compost while the control pots were without any amendment to the soil. The spinach -amended soil, compost-amended soil, and control soil sample were compared in terms physiochemical characteristics like pH , EC ,TDS, organic matter , nutrients i.e. nitrogen , phosphorus, potassium ,calcium ,magnesium and heavy metals. While, plant morphological traits plant height, root length, numbers of flowers and fruits were recorded.
Results The pH of spinach-amended soil was slightly alkaline before plantation as compared to control soil. The nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content in spinach dry powder was 15%, 36% and 49%, respectively. The organic carbon content was 56% with moderate amount of micronutrients like calcium, magnesium and iron. Spinach powder-amended soil significantly improved the plant morphological characteristics like stem height, root length and able to produce more flowers and mature fruits as compared to compost-amended soil and control soil.
Conclusion The use of spinach in powder and liquid concoction was a suitable alternative to chemical fertilizers. It was able to deliver all major macro- and micronutrients to soil thus improving the fertility and has significant impact on plant growth and yield.

Highlights

The organic fertilizer-derived spinach powder is beneficial since it can greatly minimize the amount of chemical fertilizers usage while also produced high-yielding plants that were free of dangerous pollutants.

Keywords

• Organic amendments
• Soil fertility
• Food Security
• Plants fertilizers
• Sustainable approach

Main Subjects

• Soil amendment