Mais Deeb^1*, Ali Mostafa¹, Ghina Jawhara¹ and Abeer Ali¹

¹ Tartous Research Center, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Mais Deeb, Email: mais.deeb@yahoo.com )

Received: 17/ 10/ 2024     Accepted: 25/ 6/ 2025

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Agricultural Scientific Research Center in Tartous Governorate during the agricultural seasons 2022-2023, 2023-2024 by studying the effect of application three levels of compost of urban waste manufactured in Wadi Al-Hada factory (15, 30, 45 tons/ha) alone and combined with 50% of the fertilizer recommendation for Zea mays, in addition to a control treatment without fertilization, and a mineral fertilization treatment only (100% fertilizer recommendation) on the growth and productivity of Sweet Corn. The complete randomization design was adopted in the research design with three replicates for each treatment, 18 plants in each replicate. The results of the study showed a positive effect of adding a mixture of compost and mineral fertilization in improving the growth and productivity of Sweet corn. An increase was observed in all studied growth indicators with increasing rates of compost addition, where the mineral fertilization treatment with the fertilizer recommendation and the mixed fertilizer addition treatment of 45 tons/ha of compost + 50% fertilizer recommendation gave the highest value for each of the indicators: average plant height (173, 171.3 cm) respectively, wet weight (566, 519.3 g) and dry weight of the plant (92.67, 118 g/plant), and productivity of the unit area (15.8, 13.91 tons/ha) respectively. While the mixed fertilization treatment (45 tons/ha of compost + 50% fertilizer recommendation) gave the highest value for the leaf surface area (7523 cm2), and the leaf surface index (2.69 m2/m2), followed by the mineral fertilization treatment with the fertilizer recommendation, which gave a leaf surface area of 7493 cm2/plant, and a leaf surface index of 2.68 m2/m2.

Keywords: Compost, urban waste, fertilization, growth, productivity, sweet corn.

 Full paper in Arabic: PDF