Abstract

PINTO, Rui et al. Composting waste from the kiwi crop. Rev. de Ciências Agrárias [online]. 2022, vol.45, n.4, pp.241-250.  Epub Dec 01, 2022. ISSN 0871-018X.  https://doi.org/10.19084/rca.28426.

The reuse of waste from the agricultural activity through composting has environmental and agronomic advantages. Kiwi pruning chips have a high C/N ratio and may be a good structuring feedstock material to add with another more easily biodegradable material in order to achieve effective composting. With this objective, the process of composting pruning chips with kiwi fruit waste, mixed in proportions of 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2 (chips:kiwi, w:w) was evaluated. The highest temperature was recorded in the pile with the highest content of kiwi fruits (57 °C), which had a lower C/N ratio. Reducing the C/N ratio from initial values between 49 and 59 to final values between 18 and 21, and increasing the total N content from values between 9 and 11 g kg-1 to values between 22 and 27 g kg-1 during composting, may contribute to increase the availability of nutrients for crops. The degree of maturation and the absence of phytotoxicity evaluated by the germination index, the decrease in the C/N ratio, and the chemical characteristics, are indicative of the quality of the composts from these kiwi crop residues.

Keywords : C/N ratio; composting process; kiwi; pruning chips; temperature.

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