Abstract
In tropical regions like the Philippines, drought susceptibility is caused by high evaporation rates and poor soil water retention. To deal with this, soil amendments are crucial, enhancing soil properties to aid plant growth. In this study, LeaFiNa, a compost soil amendment composed of Kakawate leaves (KL), fishbone meal (FB), and Saba banana peels (BP) was introduced, aiming to boost soil water holding capacity (SWHC) of loam. Different LeaFiNa ratios were tested, including 3KL:1FB:2BP, 6KL:4FB:1BP, and 3KL:8FB:1BP, alongside vermicast and commercial soil amendment (neem cake) as positive controls, and plain loam soil as the negative control. Percolation method and pressure plate extraction was performed. One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference among the experimental treatments (α=0.05) in which 6KL:4FB:1BP ratio emerged with the highest SWHC of 49.60%. Meanwhile, Tukey’s HSD test revealed no significant difference between 6KL:4FB:1BP and vermicast, yet a significant difference with the negative control. Moreover, the experimental treatments, particulalry the 6KL:4FB:1BP, also exhibited ideal results on other SWHC parameters such as the soil moisture content at saturation and wilting points, and in terms of gravitational water and plant available water. These findings suggest the LeaFiNa’s potential in alleviating drought stress in tropical soils by enhancing water retention, offering promising outcomes for sustaining agricultural productivity in water-scarce regions.
Keywords: soil water holding capacity, loam soil, compost soil amendment, Kakawate leaves, fishbone meal, Saba banana peels
References
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