Karides Kabuklarının Doğal Bir Toprak Düzenleyici Olarak Değerlendirilmesi

Shrimp shell waste, a byproduct of the rapidly growing seafood industry, poses environmental challengesbut also presents opportunities for innovative agricultural applications and research. This waste, generated fromshrimp consumption, is typically disposed of through methods such as burning and burial. The aim of this study isto investigate the potential use of shrimp shells in agriculture and to investigate the impact of powdered shrimpshells as a cost-effective alternative to the chitosan on some soil physical properties. Shrimp shells were obtainedfrom Kocaman Fishery in Bandırma. The shells were cleaned, dried, ground, and sieved through a 4 mm mesh toremove unground parts. The sieved soil was then mixed with the shrimp shells at weight ratios of 0%, 2%, 4%,and 6%. Following the incubation period, the water-holding capacity, porosity, bulk density, moisture content,field capacity, organic carbon, organic matter, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) values of the samples weremeasured. In soils where shrimp shell powder was applied at varying rates, it was observed that the pH, electricalconductivity (EC), aggregate stability, organic carbon, organic matter, CaCO₃, water holding capacity, porosity,and field capacity values significantly increased with higher application doses. Consequently, shrimp shells canbe ground into a powder and utilized as a soil organic conditioner at rates of 4% and 6%, while considering thepH and EC values of the soil