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Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition Note

Effect of Pit Floor Material on Compost Quality in Semiarid West Africa

^a ICRISAT-Niamey, (Regional Hub WCA), BP 12404, Niamey, Niger
^b Texas A&M Univ., Agric. Research and Extension Service, 2301 Experiment Station Rd., Bushland, TX 79012

^* Corresponding author (w-payne{at}tamu.edu)

Composting improves nutrient recycling in semiarid Africa but requires labor and water inputs. We compared effects of pit floor materials (sand, mud, and straw bricks [banco], and cement) on quality of compost made of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] stalks and cow manure. Mean compost dry mass loss ranged from 25% in sand-floor pits to 37% in banco-floor pits. Final C contents were 0.25 g g^–1 for cement-floor compost, 0.20 g g^–1 for sand-floor compost, and 0.16 g g^–1 for banco-floor compost. Final C/N ratios were 25.8 in sand-floor compost, 20.6 in banco-floor compost, and 24.9 in cement-floor compost. Compost water content increased as floor porosity decreased. Dry mass and nutrient content were much greater for plants grown with sand-floor compost, but none of the compost data taken suggested superior quality. Results suggest increased floor porosity improves compost quality. Additional study is required to improve local compost technology.