Assessing Composts for Urban Organic Farming
Mentor 1
John Berges
Mentor 2
Erica Young
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
27-4-2018 1:00 PM
Description
Urban organic farms heavily rely upon composts to grow crops, however there lacks a reliable source of information on the quality and content of composts which are available to the farming consumer. This project aimed to assess various composts sourced from established local compost companies and to see how well 3 different crops (lettuce, tomato, carrots) grown in them performed. This involved quantification of 1) organic matter 2) Carbon 3) Nitrogen 4) Phosphorus for both the composts and the crops which were grown in them at various stages during the growing season. In order to further assess the performance of the crops, a 2-level analysis of Photosynthetic ability was taken using a PAM fluorometer (Fv/Fm) & Chlorophyll content of leaf tissues (µg/g Chlorophyll α). This project provides a source of important information for the consumer about how composts perform in a field setting as well providing an interesting perspective on how different crops affect the soil which they are grown in over time.
Assessing Composts for Urban Organic Farming
Union Wisconsin Room
Urban organic farms heavily rely upon composts to grow crops, however there lacks a reliable source of information on the quality and content of composts which are available to the farming consumer. This project aimed to assess various composts sourced from established local compost companies and to see how well 3 different crops (lettuce, tomato, carrots) grown in them performed. This involved quantification of 1) organic matter 2) Carbon 3) Nitrogen 4) Phosphorus for both the composts and the crops which were grown in them at various stages during the growing season. In order to further assess the performance of the crops, a 2-level analysis of Photosynthetic ability was taken using a PAM fluorometer (Fv/Fm) & Chlorophyll content of leaf tissues (µg/g Chlorophyll α). This project provides a source of important information for the consumer about how composts perform in a field setting as well providing an interesting perspective on how different crops affect the soil which they are grown in over time.
