Urban organic waste has been gaining prominence in the composition of substrates, as it is a source of natural nutrients and a sustainable alternative to mitigate environmental impacts caused by improper waste disposal. The aim of this study was to characterize chemically and physically substrates based on organic waste and to evaluate the development of Colubrina glandulosa seedlings using composted urban tree pruning waste. Treatments consisted of different proportions of organic compost (CP), soil from the A horizon (SAH), aged manure (BM) and vermiculite, kept in tubes (Citropote®) with volume of 1.7 L. C/N ratio, water holding capacity (10 hPa), electrical conductivity, macroporosity, microporosity and total porosity of substrates before their use were determined. Substrate fertility analyses were carried out before and after seedling production. During the development of the seedlings, height (H) and stem diameter (SD) were measured at 60, 90 and 120 days. At 90 and 120 days, the seedlings were divided into shoots and roots to determine the dry mass of each compartment, Dickson quality index (DQI) and contents of nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg). After the analysis of the results, it can be observed that the treatments with high proportions of CP had better physical characteristics, but also showed chemical limitation in the development of the seedlings. Treatments based on BM, SAH and lower proportion of CP had the highest average results for H, SD, H/SD ratio and DQI.
Urban trees positively influence the quality of life in cities, but they need to be pruned regularly, generating a large amount of solid urban waste. This study aimed to compost urban pruning waste, evaluate its physical, chemical, structural characteristics, and determine its potential as a substrate to produce forest seedlings. The pruning residue was obtained from the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Cleaning Company (COMLURB) - Brazil. Twigs and leaves ≤ 8 cm in diameter were chopped and arranged on a trapezoidal windrow. Temperature, humidity, and aeration were controlled throughout the composting process. Irrigation and turning were carried out as needed. The composting process took 122 days. The compost was dried, processed, and evaluated for physical and chemical characteristics. The leachate was collected and characterized by 13C CP MAS NMR. The temperature patterns were consistent with the thermophilic, mesophilic, and maturation stages. Part of the chemical and physical characteristics of the compound was classified as adequate, according to the literature. The leachate contained large amounts of C alkyl and low amounts of C carbonyl at all times of composting. The characteristics determined indicated that the composting process was interrupted before complete maturation was achieved. However, the compound can be combined with other materials to produce a complete substrate.
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