Journal article
Seaweed compost for agricultural crop production
Journal of Applied Phycology, Vol.28(1), pp.629-642
2016
Abstract
This study manipulated the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N) of seaweed composts by varying the proportion of high N green seaweed (Ulva ohnoi) and high C sugarcane bagasse to assess their quality and suitability for use in agricultural crop production. Seaweed-bagasse mixes that had an initial C:N ratio greater than 18:1 (up to 50:1) could be transformed into a mature compost within 16 weeks. However, only composts with a high seaweed content and therefore low initial C:N (18 and 22:1) supported a consistently high rate of plant growth, even at low application rates. Sugarcane grown in these high seaweed composts had a 7-fold higher total above-ground biomass than low seaweed composts and a 4-fold higher total above-ground biomass than sugarcane grown in commercial compost that did not contain seaweed. Overall, the optimal initial C:N ratio for seaweed-based compost was 22:1 which corresponds to 82 % seaweed on a fresh weight basis. This ratio will produce a high quality mature compost whilst also ensuring that a high proportion of the nitrogen (>90 %) in the Ulva biomass is retained through the composting process. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
Details
- Title
- Seaweed compost for agricultural crop production
- Authors
- A J Cole (Author) - James Cook UniversityD A Roberts (Author) - James Cook UniversityA L Garside (Author) - James Cook UniversityR de Nys (Author) - James Cook UniversityNicholas A Paul (Author) - James Cook University
- Publication details
- Journal of Applied Phycology, Vol.28(1), pp.629-642
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Date published
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10811-015-0544-2
- ISSN
- 0921-8971
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450327002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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