Comparing Individual vs Mixed Treatments of Chicken Bone Meal and Crab Shell Meal on the Growth of Capsicum annuum (Bell Pepper)

The recycling of nutrient-rich food waste reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers, enhances soil quality, and improves plant growth. Existing studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of food waste, such as bone meal (B) and crab shell meal (S), as fertilizers; however, their combined use has not been investigated. This study aims to evaluate the effect of varying proportions of B and S fertilizers on the growth of Capsicum annuum (bell pepper) employing a random complete block design with 10 treatments (pure B, pure S, and a 50:50 BS mix, each at 7 g, 14 g, and 21 g) plus a control and three replicates. After eight biweekly observations and applying linear regression, it was revealed that B14 resulted in the tallest plant (34.28 ± 3.88 cm) and most leaves (28), which is attributed to its nitrogen content, while B21 had the largest leaf surface area (36.36 ± 36.96 cm²) as measured by ImageJ software. Rapid growth rates were seen in plants treated with B14, B21, and BS21, moderate growth rates in plants treated with S14, and stunted growth rates in control plants and plants treated with S7, S21, BS7, and BS14. Conversely, several treatments (B7, S7, S21, BS7, BS14, and control) showed stunted growth, likely due to low nutrient availability or the slow calcium decomposition rate from the S. Overall, B14 is the optimal fertilizer in terms of height, growth rate, and number of leaves, while B21 is the optimal fertilizer in terms of leaf surface area. BS21 showed potential as a low-cost, eco-friendly alternative to combined fertilizers for bell peppers.