Effects of kitchen waste compost and chemical fertilizer application on spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) c.v. Matador plant growth and nitrate accumulation

Abstract

In this study, the effects of organic and chemical fertilizer sources on some essential nutrient elements content, nitrate (NO₃⁻-N) accumulation, and the growth of spinach plant (Spinacia oleracea L.) were investigated. The experiment was carried out in a randomized plot design under greenhouse conditions, with two levels. 1st level; applications with chemical fertilizer. 2nd level; applications without chemical fertilizer. One compost material (kitchen waste compost = KWC), five different doses (0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6%), and three replications. For chemical fertilization, nitrogen (N) dose of 150 kg ha⁻¹ was applied by using 15-15-15 NPK (N:P₂O₅:K₂O) fertilizer. Overall, KWC applications increased plant growth and nutrient content. However, the most significant increases occurred in the trial subjects where chemical fertilizer and KWC were applied together. The use of KWC together with chemical fertilization increased the leaf width, leaf and stem length, fresh weight, and dry weight, as well as nitrate accumulation, N, potassium (K), and iron (Fe) content of the plant. The highest values of these parameters were obtained at 0.8% dose of KWC + NPK medium. As a result, compost applications were effectively uptake of nutrients and nitrate accumulation remained at acceptable values.

Keywords:

• Compost
• fertilizer
• kitchen waste
• nutrition
• plant growth
• Spinacia oleracea

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the JPN’s reviewers and managing editor, thanks to whom the document has improved significantly.

Ethical approval

The author declares that the submitted article is original; any other that it was not given to another journal for publication; not previously published Acknowledges that all kinds of permission have been obtained and that has been sent to the Publication Commission of the Journal of Cleaner Production. The author accepts responsibility by agreeing to waive the copyright of the article.

Consent to participate

The author declares that this study does not involve humans or animals.

Consent for publication

The author declares that this study doesn’t contain any data from another person.

Author contributions

Serhat Gurel conceived and designed the manuscript. Serhat Gurel performed the bibliographic search and analyzed the information. Serhat Gurel wrote the manuscript and made the corresponding revisions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the publıcatıon.

Data deposition

The data and documentation that support the findings of this study are available in with the identifier(s) (data DOI).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Scientific Research Fund of the University of Bursa Uludag, Turkey [Project No: FHIZ-2022/835].