Effects of composts obtained from hazelnut wastes on the cultivation of pepper (Capsicum annuum) seedlings

Mixing animal waste and agricultural waste in certain proportions forms agricultural compost through appropriate air, time, and water supply. One of their use areas is directly used as fertilizer, and the other one is used as a material that can partially or completely replace P (peat) in the PGM (plant growth media). In this study, the initial mixtures with an appropriate C/N ratio and moisture content, which were created by mixing cow manure, chicken manure, hazelnut husk, hazelnut pruning wastes, vegetable and fruit wastes, and dry leaves, were composted for 180 days. The physicochemical properties of the mature composts were determined. Their effects on the fruit yield (weight of fruits) and plant height of pepper seedlings were evaluated in pot and field experiments. N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus), Cu (copper), and Zn (zinc) content were the highest in C4 (2.59%, 1.12%, 83.11 mg/kg, and 605.3 mg/kg). K (potassium) and Mn (manganese) content in C3 (1.79% and 750.5 mg/kg) and Fe (iron) content in C1 (4025 mg/kg) were determined to be the highest. There was no phytotoxic effect of all composts on Lepidium sativum seeds. Except for pH and organic matter, C1 45%, C1 20%, C4 45%, C4 20%, and P 90% met the requirements for ideal media. The mean height of eight-week seedlings increased in media of C1 20%, C1 45%, C2 20%, C2 45%, and C4 20%, but decreased in media of C3 90%. In field studies, while the highest yield was determined in C3 as 1530 g/plant, the lowest yield was 765.5 g/plant in control. The highest mean height was observed in C3 at 76.33 cm; the lowest was 63.03 cm in control.