Valorisation by composting of sawdust for agronomic use in the commune of (Marcory), Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Abstract

The environmental challenges in the context of climate change require the design of a sustainable organic agriculture. To achieve such a challenge, the use of organic fertilizers is highly recommended. Among these organic fertilizers, compost is of paramount importance as it is widely recommended and used in the agricultural world. However, the quality of compost depends on the organic matter used. The search for several sources of compost is necessary in order to offer several choices to producers, depending on the source of organic matter available. With this in mind, a study on the use of sawdust from carpentry by composting was conducted in the south of Côte d'Ivoire, in the commune of Marcory, with a view to its use for agronomic purposes. In a 2 x 1.5 x 1 m pit, 50 kg of fresh sawdust and 20 kg of chicken litter were composted over a period of 5 months. The mature compost obtained is in decomposed form (detritus), black in color, oily, free of pathogenic micro-organisms and with appreciable contents expressed in g/kg of assimilable mineral elements such as: N(28.8) K(19.2) Ca(04.5) P(03.1) and Mg(01.5). Its use as a substrate in soilless tomato cultivation has resulted in a yield of 0.75 kg per plant, compared to 0.20 kg per plant in full soil cultivation. This represents a yield of 45 t per hectare, compared to 11 t.