Development of Environmentally Friendly Tea Compost from Raw Tea Waste Using Biotechnological Method

Abstract

Current agricultural production systems tend to focus on yield results at any cost. The resulting increases in yield lead tea producers to use intensive chemical inputs in conventional agricultural production to achieve more yield in a short time. And this increases their dependence on chemical agents. The excessive use of chemical agents leads to soil acidification and serious negative impacts on the environment in tea growing areas. Therefore, it is necessary to develop both production and consumption-based approaches to ensure global food security and reduce dependence on external inputs and environmental damage. Therefore, for the first time in the world, using enzymes (protease, lipase, dehydrogenase, hydrolase, urease, nitrogenase, cellulase), a fast-mineralizing organo tea vermicompost technology was produced from unprocessed tea waste from tea factories. The developed tea vermicompost was used for 2 years in field studies in Ardeşen district, where tea is grown, at a rate of 400 kg da-1 . As a result of the two-year field study, the tea yield in the control groups was 659 kg da-1 , while the yield when chemical fertilizers were used was 830 kg da-1 . The highest yield was obtained when the developed tea-vermicompost was applied: 852 kg da-1 . In addition, the compost was found to increase the content of plant minerals in tea plantations and protect the tea plant from stress with its low content of antioxidants, resulting in yield increases.