Title: The efficacy of sunflower seed cake as an organic fertilizer
Abstract
A study to evaluate the efficacy of sunflower seed cake as an organic fertilizer was carried out using a pot experiment in a greenhouse at Gunnarsholt during the 2015 growing season. The major objective was to evaluate the efficacy of sunflower seed cake as an organic fertilizer used in the growing of maize. The experiment was laid out in a 3 × 3 factorial design with 3 levels of sunflower seed cake at rates equivalent to 0, 92 and 184 kg N/ha of dry matter per pot containing 2000 g of soil, and 3 levels of inorganic fertilizer at rates equivalent to 0, 23 and 46 kg N/ha. A full rate inorganic fertilizer (92 kg N/ha + 20 kg P/ha) was also included to be used for comparison. Results collected 42 days after seeding showed that maize plant height, the chlorophyll in the maize leaves and plant biomass responded positively to the amount of sunflower seed cake and inorganic fertilizer applied, while stem diameter responded positively to the amount of sunflower seed cake only. Significant differences were mainly obtained between the 0 and 184 kg N/ha for the sunflower seed cake. It can be concluded from this study that sole application of sunflower seed cake has the potential of producing maize yield comparable to full rate inorganic fertilizer application.