OPTIMIZATION OF SUBSTRATE COMPOSITION BASED ON FOOD AND ORGANIC WASTE COMPOST

The research investigated the influence of compost-based substrates on plant growth and development over 25 days. The study utilized compost from the Lviv municipal enterprise “Green City”, which consisted of garden and park waste (leaves, branches, and mowed grass), as well as food waste from city residents and organic food waste from manufacturing enterprises. The composting process was conducted in a designated area under controlled conditions. A mixture of compost, peat, soil, sand, and clay, mixed in various ratios, was used to prepare the substrate. The bioindication method was used to evaluate how the substrates influenced the dynamics of plant growth. The experimental results were used to determine the average germination rate of ryegrass in the test samples, along with the average values of key plant parameters, including stem height, root length, and plant weight. It found that, after the experiment ended, the highest germination rate was in option 1 – 95.8%, and the lowest in option 4 – 85.8%. The highest average values of the main parameters of ryegrass were in options 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the lowest in the control sample and option 5.