Fermentation of lacatan banana pseudostem waste for the production of organic liquid fertilizer

Abstract

Abstract—Liquid organic fertilizer effectively replaces chemical and synthetic fertilizers as it is abundant in macro- and micronutrients, a good source for plant growth-promoting substances. This study aims to utilize banana pseudostem wastes to create organic liquid fertilizer (OLF) through the fermentation of the pseudostem. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) of Minitab Version 20 shows that the OLF treatment's optimal concentration and frequency on eggplant is 55.56% v/v, applied triweekly. Origin Pro illustrates that specific OLF concentrations used for okra and sweetcorn at different foliar spraying frequencies generated the highest mean values for each experimental dependent constraint. Fifteen %v/v OLF sprayed to okra thrice a week produced the highest mean values in most dependent conditions. Fifty %v/v OLF sprayed to okra twice a week and 100% v/v OLF sprayed once to the same crop created the highest mean, especially in germination rate and biomass weight, respectively. Growth of sweetcorn, as monitored, showed that 15% v/v OLF applied twice a week produced the highest mean germination rate, while the same concentration sprayed thrice a week created the most increased mean root length. Foliar spraying of 50% v/v OLF thrice a week produced the highest mean number of leaves and leaf length. Treating 100% v/v OLF thrice a week to sweetcorn and twice a week generated the most increased mean stem length and biomass weight values, respectively. The combined role of different concentrations and frequencies helped create good results. Therefore, applying OLF to various crops can significantly affect plants' growth. However, results may depend on several factors, such as the type of plant, growing conditions, and the duration of treatment, and thus, should be considered.