Is Tea Waste A Promising Co-substrate for Optimizing The Cultivation, Growth, and Yield of Charleston Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)?

To address growing concerns about sustainable agriculture and waste management, this study aimed to explore the viability of tea waste as an eco-friendly alternative substrate for cultivating Charleston peppers (Capsicum annuum), with the goal of optimizing plant growth and yield while reducing soil dependence, lowering cultivation costs, and repurposing agro-industrial waste. Six different substrate combinations were evaluated: 1) Tea waste, 2) Tea waste + Manure, 3) Tea waste + Soil, 4) Manure + Soil, 5) Tea waste + Manure + Soil, and 6) Tea waste + Manure + Soil + Perlite. Data were analyzed using both multivariate and univariate analyses to assess significant differences among treatments. Notably, significant differences in stem diameter were observed among plants grown on different substrates (one-way MANOVA, p <.05). However, plant height and chlorophyll content remained unaffected by substrate type. Although leaf structure exhibited considerable variation across treatments, no significant difference in dry matter content was observed. These results demonstrate that tea waste, especially when combined with other materials, is a promising sustainable substrate for Charleston pepper cultivation, potentially reducing soil dependence and agro-industrial waste.