Tangerine, Pomegranate, and Banana Peels: A Promising Environmentally Friendly Bioorganic Fertilizers for Seed Germination and Cultivation of Pisum sativum L.

The world generates millions of tons of bioorganic waste in the form of peels annually, thus requiring more sustainable solutions to valorise these bioresources. Therefore, the objectives of the current study are the physicochemical and microbiological characterization of pomegranate (PP), banana (BP), and tangerine (TP) peels and the study of the effects of these peels and their mixtures (PBTP) at each stage of their decomposition in water and soil, as well as the effects of their decomposition water on the germination and growth of Pisum sativum . Based on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of PP, BP, and TP (C/N ratio: 29.57 ± 0.51, 23.05 ± 0.38, and 19.28 ± 0.39 respectively), these wastes can be used as bioorganic fertilizers to improve the physicochemical and microbiological properties of the soil. Moreover, their use as bioorganic fertilizers showed positive effects on germination (94.44% by using PBTP without decomposition and 94.44% by using PP after 2 months of decomposition in the soil) and growth of P. sativum (number of pods 8.33 ± 0.58 and 8.67 ± 0.58 by using PP and TP after 2 months of decomposition in the soil). As shown by the obtained results, pomegranate, banana, and tangerine peels can be used as promising and environmentally friendly bioorganic fertilizers that can substitute chemical fertilizers. Graphical Abstract