TITLE:
Utilization of Urine for Cultivation of Selected Vegetable Crops in Backyard “Peeponics”
AUTHORS:
Mumuni Adejumo, Chukwudike Igwe, Mynepalli Kameswara Chandra Sridhar
KEYWORDS:
Human Urine, NPK, Amaranthus viridis, Corchorus olitorius, Peeponics, Backyard Gardening
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.10 No.1,
January
7,
2019
ABSTRACT: This
study evaluated the use of urine
for soilless cultivation (as Peeponics) of Amaranthus
viridis and Corchorus olitorius vegetables. This is a laboratory-based experiment
involving optimization of amount of urine and dilution required for optimal
growth of the test plants. Based on laboratory results, the experiments were
scaled up. About 50 L of raw urine was collected from a male
postgraduate student’s hall of residence, University of Ibadan, Ibadan,
Nigeria. Water from Awba Dam, a natural lake within University of Ibadan, was
used as the control. Viable seeds of Amaranthus viridis and Corchorus
olitorius were collected
from Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan, and germinated in a nursery
for 10 days before transplanting. The raw urine was diluted with varying amount of
water in the ratio 1:1 through 1:50. Nutrients in urine media (nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium) and biomass indicators of plant growth (height, weight,
number of leaves and leaf area) were determined using standard procedures.
Urine dilution ratios below 1:25 did not support the experimental plants growth
within a week. Plant height (cm), stem girth (cm), number of leaves (sheets) and
leaf area (cm2) of Amaranthus
viridis and Corchorus olitorius cultivated
on Urine Dilution Ratio (UDR) 1:35 and 1:45 were higher at the end of week 3
compared to other dilutions and control. Percentage reduction of nutrients
(NPK) in the media of Amaranthus viridis cultivated
on UDR 1:45 was several folds higher (N = 59.9%, P = 100%, K = 55.3%) compared
to that of UDR 1:35 (N = 38.5%, P = 49.1%, K = 37.6%). In the control water,
the nutrients were totally removed during the experimental period. Growth of Corchorus olitorius cultivated on both
UDR 1:35 and 1:45, was significantly higher at the end of week 6. A significant
negative correlation was observed between Corchorus
olitorius plant height and Phosphorus (r = -0.0418;
p