Impact of Composts Based on Poultry Droppings and Phosphate Waste from Togo on Corn Yield (<i>Zea</i><i> mays</i>) and on the Physicochemical Characteristics of the Soil

Poultry droppings and phosphate waste from Togo (phosphate sludge and sieve rejects) were used to produce four types of composts: compost A (170 kg of poultry droppings and 85 kg of phosphate sludge), compost B (170 kg of poultry droppings and 85 kg of sieve rejects), compost C (170 kg of poultry droppings, 42.5 kg of phosphate sludge and 42.5 kg of sieve rejects), and compost D (255 kg of poultry droppings). This study aims to evaluate the impact of these composts on maize yield and on the physicochemical characteristics of the soil. Each compost was applied at a rate of 10 t/ha on agricultural plots, in comparison with a control soil receiving no compost. The highest corn grain yield (4.05 ± 0.57 t/ha), as well as the highest concentrations of available phosphorus (45.33 mg/kg), total nitrogen (0.071%) and total organic carbon (0.80%), were observed on plots amended with compost D. The soil amended with compost A had the highest clay content (%Clay = 8%). Composts made from poultry droppings and phosphate waste can therefore contribute to improving the physicochemical parameters of the soil.