Determination of plant wastes and compost potential in greenhouse tomato, cucumber and pepper growing in central Antalya regions

Recycling plant wastes by composting and applying them to the soil is one of the most important methods that ensure sustainability in agriculture and protect the environment. This study was carried out in order to determine the amount of vegetable wastes removed from the tomato, cucumber and pepper greenhouses grown in the central districts of Antalya (Konyaaltı-Aksu-Kepez) at the end of the growing period and the content of plant nutrients wasted with these wastes and to reveal the waste amounts with composting potential. As an average of three districts, 1560.48 kg/da wet and 195.21 kg/da dry weight vegetable waste is generated from the greenhouses where tomatoes are grown in Aksu, Konyaaltı and Kepez. With these wastes, 4.34 kg N, 0.46 kg P, 5.92 kg K, 5.33 kg Ca, 0.99 kg Mg, 16.07 g Fe, 8.43 g Zn, 11.44 g Mn, 1.87 g Cu are removed from the soil on a dry matter basis. Considering that tomato cultivation is carried out in a greenhouse area of 176452 decares in Antalya province, 765.80 tons of N, 81.17 tons of P, 1044.60 tons of K, 940.49 tons of Ca, 174.69 tons of Mg, 2835.58 kg of Fe, 1487.49 kg of Zn, 2018.61 kg of Mn, 329.96 kg of Cu are taken into account. is wasted. It has been calculated that the amount of N, P2O5, K2O wasted by removing tomato plant wastes in Antalya province is equivalent to that of 5513 tons of chemical fertilizer. As an average of three districts, 1857.67 kg/da wet and 192.17 kg/da dry weight vegetable waste is generated from the greenhouses where cucumbers are grown in Aksu, Konyaaltı and Kepez. With these wastes, 4.71 kg N, 0.95 kg P, 6.52 kg K, 7.28 kg Ca, 2.05 kg Mg, 24.33 g Fe, 6.25 g Zn, 18.29 g Mn, 1.76 g Cu are removed from the soil on a dry matter basis. Considering that cucumber cultivation is carried out in 35952 decares of greenhouse area in Antalya province, the removed plant wastes and 169.33 tons N, 34.15 tons P, 234.41 tons K, 261.73 tons Ca, 73.70 tons Mg, 874.71 kg Fe, 224.70 kg Zn, 657.56 kg Mn, 63.28 kg Cu is wasted. It has been calculated that the amounts of N, P2O5, K2O wasted by removing the cucumber plant wastes in Antalya province are equivalent to those of 1322.06 tons of chemical fertilizer. In Aksu, Konyaaltı and Kepez, as an average of three districts, 624.97 kg/da wet and 94.80 kg/da dry weight vegetable waste is generated from the greenhouses where pepper is grown. With these wastes, 2.20 kg N, 0.26 kg P, 3.22 kg K, 1.75 kg Ca, 0.49 kg Mg, 7.45 g Fe, 3.72 g Zn, 3.21 g Mn, 0.80 g Cu are removed from the soil on a dry matter basis. Considering that pepper cultivation is carried out in 60777 decares of greenhouse area in Antalya, the plant wastes removed and 133.71 tons of N, 15.80 tons of P, 185.70 tons of K, 106.36 tons of Ca, 29.78 tons of Mg, 452.79 kg of Fe, 226.09 kg of Zn, 195.09 kg of Mn, 48.62 kg of Cu is wasted. It has been calculated that the amounts of N, P2O5, K2O wasted by removing pepper plant wastes in Antalya province are equivalent to 981.83 tons of chemical fertilizer. According to the data obtained, it has been revealed that there are significant amounts of greenhouse plant wastes with composting potential. By applying the organic material obtained as a result of the composting of these plant wastes to the soil, the organic matter content can be increased, the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soils can be improved with the soil conditioner effect, the input cost in plant production can be reduced and environmental pollution can be prevented by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers thanks to the plant nutrients it contains. In addition to encouraging the producers to compost their vegetable wastes in their own production areas in the form of simple compost heaps, the establishment of large-scale compost factories will also contribute to these studies. KEYWORDS: Plant waste potential, Nutritional elements, Environment, Composting, Organic matter, Plant nutrient removed from the soil, Efficiency