Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in Ghana
Abstract Tomato production in Ghana is constrained by low yields and high postharvest losses. While mineral fertilizers are essential, their use is hindered by rising costs, limited availability, and distribution challenges. This study evaluated Black Soldier Fly (BSF) compost as a sustainable alter...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Discover Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01724-6 |
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| author | Paul Alhassan Zaato William Amponsah Nicholas Kyei-Baffour Ato Bart-Plange Lukas Pawera Ramasamy Srinivasan Malick Niango Ba |
| author_facet | Paul Alhassan Zaato William Amponsah Nicholas Kyei-Baffour Ato Bart-Plange Lukas Pawera Ramasamy Srinivasan Malick Niango Ba |
| author_sort | Paul Alhassan Zaato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Tomato production in Ghana is constrained by low yields and high postharvest losses. While mineral fertilizers are essential, their use is hindered by rising costs, limited availability, and distribution challenges. This study evaluated Black Soldier Fly (BSF) compost as a sustainable alternative to enhance tomato yield and quality. A field experiment was conducted across two growing seasons in three locations within the semi-arid northern part of Ghana, using a randomized complete block design with seven fertilizer treatments, including BSF compost, ACARP commercial compost, NPK, BSF + ACARP, BSF compost + NPK, ACARP compost + NPK, and control with no fertilizer applied. Tomato growth, fruit yield, plant biomass, water use efficiency (WUE), plant health index (PHI), economic returns, fruit nutrient content, and postharvest quality were assessed. In 2024, BSF + NPK and BSF alone showed the highest biomass content, while BSF + NPK recorded the highest WUE in both years. BSF + NPK resulted in the highest yield increase compared to the control, with an improvement of 81.7% in 2023 and 191.6% in 2024. BSF compost treatments consistently gave the highest net income, benefit cost ratio and return on investment across seasons. PHI was highest in sole BSF compost and BSF compost + NPK. BSF compost also improved lycopene, vitamin C, shelf life, and reduced microbial spoilage of tomato. BSF compost, especially when combined with reduced mineral fertilizer, significantly improves tomato yield and postharvest quality, which offers a climate-smart, circular solution for boosting sustainable vegetable production across West Africa. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7344d688ab0047b2b0b65e392a149ace |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-9984 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-7344d688ab0047b2b0b65e392a149ace2025-08-20T03:04:07ZengSpringerDiscover Sustainability2662-99842025-08-016112710.1007/s43621-025-01724-6Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in GhanaPaul Alhassan Zaato0William Amponsah1Nicholas Kyei-Baffour2Ato Bart-Plange3Lukas Pawera4Ramasamy Srinivasan5Malick Niango Ba6Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyWorld Vegetable CenterWorld Vegetable CenterWorld Vegetable Center, West and Central Africa (WCA)-Coastal and Humid RegionsAbstract Tomato production in Ghana is constrained by low yields and high postharvest losses. While mineral fertilizers are essential, their use is hindered by rising costs, limited availability, and distribution challenges. This study evaluated Black Soldier Fly (BSF) compost as a sustainable alternative to enhance tomato yield and quality. A field experiment was conducted across two growing seasons in three locations within the semi-arid northern part of Ghana, using a randomized complete block design with seven fertilizer treatments, including BSF compost, ACARP commercial compost, NPK, BSF + ACARP, BSF compost + NPK, ACARP compost + NPK, and control with no fertilizer applied. Tomato growth, fruit yield, plant biomass, water use efficiency (WUE), plant health index (PHI), economic returns, fruit nutrient content, and postharvest quality were assessed. In 2024, BSF + NPK and BSF alone showed the highest biomass content, while BSF + NPK recorded the highest WUE in both years. BSF + NPK resulted in the highest yield increase compared to the control, with an improvement of 81.7% in 2023 and 191.6% in 2024. BSF compost treatments consistently gave the highest net income, benefit cost ratio and return on investment across seasons. PHI was highest in sole BSF compost and BSF compost + NPK. BSF compost also improved lycopene, vitamin C, shelf life, and reduced microbial spoilage of tomato. BSF compost, especially when combined with reduced mineral fertilizer, significantly improves tomato yield and postharvest quality, which offers a climate-smart, circular solution for boosting sustainable vegetable production across West Africa.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01724-6Organic fertilizerSoil amendmentCircular agricultureVegetable farmingPost-harvest qualitySustainable agriculture |
| spellingShingle | Paul Alhassan Zaato William Amponsah Nicholas Kyei-Baffour Ato Bart-Plange Lukas Pawera Ramasamy Srinivasan Malick Niango Ba Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in Ghana Discover Sustainability Organic fertilizer Soil amendment Circular agriculture Vegetable farming Post-harvest quality Sustainable agriculture |
| title | Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in Ghana |
| title_full | Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in Ghana |
| title_short | Black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in Ghana |
| title_sort | black soldier fly compost enhances productivity and postharvest quality of tomato in ghana |
| topic | Organic fertilizer Soil amendment Circular agriculture Vegetable farming Post-harvest quality Sustainable agriculture |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01724-6 |
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