Waste Management, cilt.119, ss.356-364, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
Sustainable development goals imply environmentally sound management of
all wastes to minimize the waste generation through prevention, reduction,
recycling, and reuse. In particular, the poultry industry produces
nutrient-rich waste that requires proper management. Additionally, the
recycling of bio-wastes in agricultural lands is still a key technology for the
sustainable use of nutrients as a renewable fertilizer. Currently, there are
very few studies on the utilization of agro-industrial bio-wastes, such as
poultry abattoir sludge (PAS), for crop cultivation in soils containing low
organic matter and high pH. In this context, it is necessary to make a more
particular assessment of poultry industry-oriented and locally available
nutrient-rich organic wastes for nodulation, physiological adaptation, and crop
yield. Considering the scarcity of the literature in this field, the present
study aimed to fulfill the apparent gap by focusing on the applicability of
recycled PAS to low fertility soil in the growth of chickpea selected as a
model legume, thereby contributing to the development of an agricultural and
sustainable industrial management strategy for the relevant sectors. In this
study, leaf chlorophyll content and nodule color were also investigated by the
image analysis methodology to describe the effects of bio-waste on closing
chickpea yield gap in a marginal land with high soil pH and low organic matter.
Two-year consecutive field experiments were carried out to explore the effect
of the PAS with the application rates of 25 kg N ha−1 (T2),
50 kg N ha−1 (T3), and 100 kg N ha−1 (T4)
along with unamended (T0) and fertilized control (T1).
The results indicated that the PAS treatments significantly differed in
chlorophyll content, nodulation parameters, and biomass and grain yields. The
chlorophyll content was correlated (r = 0.910) with the red color
value (RGB color model) of nodule image analysis in the response to bio-waste.
Based on the two-year average, it was concluded that chickpea yield could be
increased 45% by amending with the PAS (T3). The present study
clearly demonstrated that the image analysis could be a useful digital tool for
the evaluation of chlorophyll content, nitrogen fixation efficiency, and
forecasting biomass and grain yields of chickpea. The results also confirmed
that the PAS application to low fertility soil could prominently contribute to
establish sustainable waste management and crop production alternatives for
closing chickpea yield gap.