TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: THE ROLE OF RECYCLED CAT WASTE AND ORGANIC ACIDS IN IMPROVING GARLIC PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY

Abstract

In recent years, the number of Iraqi families keeping pets, particularly cats, has increased, leading to a significant rise in cat waste. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on treating and disposing of this waste in an environmentally safe manner, utilizing it as organic fertilizer to reduce environmental pollution.A field experiment was conducted in one of the agricultural fields in Ramadi, where garlic cloves were planted in mid-October in loam sandy soil using a completely randomized block design. The garlic was planted in rows with a spacing of 50cm and a plant spacing of 10cm. Fully decomposed cat waste was added at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 megagrams per hectare and placed 5cm beneath the planting line. Organic acids were sprayed at 0 and 1ml.L^-1 concentrations in three applications throughout the garlic growing season at monthly intervals. Growth traits were measured, including plant height, the number of leaves, the number of cloves per head, head weight, and total yield per hectare. After harvest, the cloves' nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium content, and allicin compounds were measured. The study results showed a significant increase in growth traits, yield, and qualitative traits of garlic cloves with application of cat waste at 4Mg.h^-1  compared to the control (no application). The statistical analysis results indicated a significant increase in the studied traits of garlic plant when spraying with organic acids at 1ml.L^-1 compared to spraying with distilled water alone. Except for plant height, number of leaves, and cloves per head, where organic acid spraying had no significant impact. The interaction between cat waste and spraying with organic acids(C4B1) had a significant effect on the studied traits compared to the other treatments.