Abstract:
Pineapple production in Ghana is constrained by low soil fertility due to continued
cultivation without soil nutrients replenishment. Inorganic fertilizer use in Ghana is
limited due to high cost, unreliable supply, and hence poor accessibility to the
smallholder farmers. Biochar and compost can be used as alternative or supplemental
nutrient sources to inorganic fertilizers. The experiment was conducted to determine
the effect of combined application of pineapple waste biochar and compost on
pineapple growth, yield, and nutritional composition of three pineapple varieties in a
low nutrient coastal savanna Acrisol. Seven treatments were evaluated, sole biochar,
sole compost, compost + biochar, sole NPK fertilizer (NPK), compost + NPK fertilizer,
Biochar + NPK fertilizer, and control. A split-plot design with three replications was
used, with pineapple variety as the main plot and fertilizer application as the sub-plots.
The MD2, sugar loaf, and smooth cayenne pineapple varieties were used as a test crop
in the study. The study revealed that the soil at the experiment field had low nutrients
contents, especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Combined application of
biochar and compost or inorganic NPK fertilizer increased pineapple plant height and
number of leaves compared with unamended soil. Compost applied together with
biochar and NPK fertilizer increased pineapple yield in terms of fruit weight, length,
and diameter. However, the application of biochar and NPK fertilizer influenced N, P,
and K content in pineapple leaf. Total soluble solids, total phenolic content, vitamin C,
and pH of pineapple fruit was influenced by compost and biochar application.
Therefore, it can be concluded that a combination of biochar and compost can be used
as a soil amendment to increase pineapple yield and improve fruit quality.
