Physiological Responses and Root Profiles of Melastoma malabathricum Grown with Food Waste Compost and Lime as Soil Amendments in Acidic Soil Condition

Abstract

Soil acidification prevents the elongation of roots, which is one of the major constraints to crop productivity. Proper acidic soil amelioration can improve soil fertility, resulting in an increase in plant physiological processes and the survival of the plants. The interaction of physiological responses and root profiles in Melastoma malabathricum as a result of soil amelioration using food waste compost, liming, and a combination of food waste compost and liming when grown in acidic soil conditions was assessed. The resulting plants exhibited an outstanding leaf area index, relative chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency in food waste compost treatment. Similarly, the plants also showed the highest root volume and diameter. The results implied that the application of soil amendment, specifically food waste compost towards acidic soil was able to enhance plant growth through better gas exchange and root morphology. In addition, a positive correlation was observed between root diameter and root volume with the physiological responses, indicating that soil amendments assisted plants in getting the nutrients necessary for gas exchange, hence influencing the plant roots. In conclusion, the use of food waste compost alone was deemed adequate as it showed good effects on plant physiological performances as well as root profiles. Hence, the preliminary results of this study highlight the potential use of food waste compost as a promising solution to support the growth and development of plants, especially those grown under acidic soil conditions.