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Your search keyword '"Mesfin T. Gebremikael"' showing total 3 results
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3 results on '"Mesfin T. Gebremikael"'

1. The Impacts of Black Soldier Fly Frass on Nitrogen Availability, Microbial Activities, C Sequestration, and Plant Growth

Author

Mesfin T. Gebremikael, Niklas van Wickeren, Pezhman S. Hosseini, and Stefaan De Neve

Subjects
chitinase, bioconversion, enzymes, N uptake, dehydrogenase, food waste, Nutrition. Foods and food supply, TX341-641, Food processing and manufacture, TP368-456
Abstract

Using insects, notably black soldier fly (BSF), is becoming one of the emerging technologies to valorize agrifood waste into high-value products, such as proteins for animal feed. Its market is expected to grow more rapidly following the new European legislation extending larvae protein use in poultry farming. The anticipated increase in larvae protein also results in a parallel increase in frass, a residue leftover after rearing the larvae and selling as a biofertilizer. Little is known about the impacts of frass made from different feedstocks used for raising the larvae on plant growth and soil quality. We set up an incubation and pot experiment to understand their effect on plant growth and soil quality and tested seven frass fertilizers made from various types of food waste and anaerobic digestate and potato pulp as reference materials using maize as a test plant. We found that the effect of frass on N availability and soil microbial quality significantly (p < 0.05) varied depending on the feedstock used for rearing the BSF larvae. N immobilization occurred up to more than 70 days, and 4–20% net N was released at the end of the 103-day-long experiment. In line with N availability dynamics, most of the frass treatments did not significantly increase the plant growth. All frasses significantly increased the microbial biomass C and enzyme activities. About 56–70% of the applied C in frass is estimated to be stable in the soil. Our data confirm that frass is a valuable product to improve soil quality but need to be applied with N sources that are readily available to avoid nutrient shortage during plant growth.

Published
2022
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3. Assessment of trade‑offs, quantity, and biochemical composition of organic materials and farmer's perception towards vermicompost production in smallholder farms of Ethiopia

Author

Zerihun Getachew Gebrehana, Mesfin T. Gebremikael, Sheleme Beyene, Wim M. L. Wesemael, and Stefaan De Neve

Subjects
Agriculture and Food Sciences, Crop residues, Competition, Animal manure, AGRICULTURE, DETERMINANTS, URBAN, Mechanics of Materials, Earth and Environmental Sciences, FEED, CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS, GRADIENT, SOIL FERTILITY, Waste Management and Disposal, Decomposition characteristics, Vermicompost, WEST-AFRICA
Abstract

The use of agricultural crop residues and animal manure for soil amendment is limited in most part of Ethiopia because of high competition for the uses. However, due to low SOM content in most agricultural soils, there is an urgent need for a sustainable management system of agricultural residues to replenish SOM. Vermicomposting is superior among the most efficient recycling techniques for management of available agricultural wastes. The study aimed to investigate the type of crop residues and animal manure available, determinants for their current use, quantity of residue left for composting and farmer's perception of vermicomposting in three districts of the Benishangul-Gumuz region. Farmers use the largest portion of cereal residue such as sorghum as fuel and tef straw sold at the market and/or as stall-feeding. However, legume residues were consistently preferred for use as a composting material over cereal residues. The average amount of crop residues available for composting was estimated in the range between 0.2 and 0.6 ton year(-1) farmer(-1), across districts. While the quantity of cow manure used for compost production significantly differs between districts and was estimated 1.7, 1.2, and 0.5 ton year(-1) farmer(-1) at Bambasi, Assosa, and Homosha districts, respectively. Unlike other parts of Ethiopia, the mixed farmers in the study region well recognized the benefit of animal manures and did not use them as a source of fuel. Residues were found with varying decomposition characteristics that sorghum (10.08% and 1.65%) and tef (9.16% and 1.43%) residues had higher lignin and polyphenol contents, respectively, than maize, soybean, banana, and haricot bean. In terms of their quantity and quality composition, cow and donkey manures, as well as residues of soybean, banana, and maize are the major organic resources potential for utilization in the vermicomposting process in the region. Moreover, the availability of potential organic residues at the farm level could encourage farmer's motive to adopt high-value vermicompost production.

Published
2022
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