Influence of Vegetable and Fruit Wastes Vermicompost on the Growth and Yield of Black Gram (Vigna mungo L.)

Background: Composting is the process of breaking down of organic matter using living organisms which can be used as manure for soil conditioning. Vermicomposting is the rapid decomposition of biowastes using earthworm species which will enhance the growth and yield of plants. Methods: The vermicomposting of vegetable and fruit wastes was carried out during summer season (May-July) and by using the vermicompost a pot culture experiment was conducted in black gram for three months from August to October, 2019. The treatments consist of combinations of vermicomposted wastes and cowdung along with bioinoculants, Soil served as control. The biometric parameters such as root length, shoot length, fresh weight and dry weight on 15, 35, 55 DAS and yield characters like number of pods/plants, number of seeds/pods, pod length, weight of seed/pod, pod fresh weight and pod dry weight were recorded and statistically analysed. The present study has been attempted to convert the vegetables and fruit waste into compost as manure and analyse its effect on vegetative growth and yield parameters of Black gram (Vigna mungo L.). Result: The highest value of shoot length, root length, fresh weigh and dry weight were noted in fruit waste + cow dung + Pleurotus eous (APK1) + Trichoderma asperelloides + Eudrilus eugeniae on 15, 35 and 55 day after sowing (DAS) and the least was reported in control (only soil). The application of T8 treatment reported the highest yield characters which were followed by other treatments and control on 15, 35 and 55 DAS. The study concluded that T8 (F.W + cow dung + P. eous + T. asperelloides + Eudrilus eugeniae) is an effective biocompost for the growth and yield of black gram (Vigna mungo L.) which is eco-friendly.

Development of a functional ingredient rich in hesperidin from citrus fruit wastes

The peels of citrus fruits contain a high concentration of bioactive compounds. Among these compounds, hesperidin stands out for its beneficial health effects. This study had the objective of evaluating the hesperidin content in peel samples of different citrus fruit and to propose the development of a functional product obtained from these peels. The peels were lyophilized and had the total flavonoids analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The peels of several fruits were dried in a microwave oven and ground in a blender to obtain a homogeneous powder. This material was submitted to extraction and quantification of hesperidin. The highest concentrations were found in the ‘Ponkan’ tangerine, ‘Murcott’ tangerine and ‘Navel’ orange, while the lowest were found in the ‘Sicilian’ lemon and ‘Lima’ orange. The functional ingredient obtained from the ground peels after microwave drying can be used for direct consumption or to enrich food preparations.

Valorization of Agri-Food Wastes as Sustainable Eco-Materials for Wastewater Treatment: Current State and New Perspectives

The paper addresses environmental protection by valorizing an important agri-food waste category, namely fruit and vegetables with focusing on the main characteristics regarding consumption, waste quantities, and ways for valorizing these materials. Thus, vast research was undertaken in order to emphasize the main commodities and their potential application as adsorbents for organic and inorganic pollutants. The main methods or treatment techniques applied for the valorization of eco-materials as adsorbents were presented and the principal efficiency results were indicated. The advantages and disadvantages of using these eco-materials as adsorbents in wastewater treatment were revealed and future recommendations were established. According to the international statistics, the most purchased and consumed five commodities were studied regarding waste generations as potential conversion into eco-materials with an adsorbent role for water pollutants. Thus, the performances for adsorbents based on fruit wastes (such as citrus, banana, apples, grapes, mango) and vegetable wastes (such as potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, and/or broccoli) were studied and highlighted in this research.