Converting agricultural waste and weeds into alternative growth media for peat moss and efficient in producing strong eggplant seedlings

Abstract

Converting agricultural waste and weeds that constitute a burden on the environment into an environmentally friendly product is one of the sustainable agricultural practices. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate types of compost prepared from okra plant residues (Abelmoschus esculentus), wheat straw (Triticum aestivum), camelthorn (Alhagi graecorum) and wild reed (Phragmites australis) as a medium for eggplant production, and knowing the effect of these media on the seeds germination rate, growth characteristics of eggplant seedlings, and their nutrient content of NPK. The results showed that the compost prepared from okra residues provided the highest germination rate for eggplant seeds, reaching 92.70%, followed by the medium of reed compost and commercial peat moss, which gave a germination rate of 90.62%. The wheat straw compost gave the lowest germination rate for eggplant seeds at 85.41%. Additionally, the okra residue compost treatment significantly outperformed other treatments in terms of seedling height, stem diameter, chlorophyll content, leaf area, dry weight of the shoot system, and dry weight of the root system, achieving values of 14.20 cm plant⁻¹, 4.00 mm plant⁻¹, 9.08 mg.g⁻¹, 106.31  cm² plant⁻¹, 0.85 g plant⁻¹, and 0.33  g plant⁻¹, respectively. These were followed by the Alhagi compost, wheat straw, and reed treatments, while the commercial peat moss recorded the lowest values. Moreover, the okra residue compost also provided the highest concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, reaching 3.35%, 0.32%, and 2.96%, respectively.