EFFECTS OF COFFEE PARCHMENT-BASED COMPOST ON YIELD OF TWO RICE VARIETIES (ORYZA SATIVA L.) GROWN IN BOFESSO, A VILLAGE IN MAN DEPARTMENT, COTE DIVOIRE

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a food that contributes to food security of Cote dIvoire population. Government allocatesbillions of dollars each year to meet the needs of its ever-growing population. Rainfed rice cultivation, which is most widely practiced in rural areas and should fill this gap, nevertheless faces challenges related to soil fertility, as farmers lack sufficient resources to purchase chemical fertilizers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of applying coffee parchment-based compost on the yield of two traditional rice varieties. Results showed that number of fertile tillers and panicle branching were significant for both amended and control subplots. Fertility rate varied from 68 to 79% for variety 1 and from 54 to 83% for variety 2. Number of panicle branches varied from 8 to 11 (variety 1) and from 6 to 8 (variety 2). On the other hand, number of grains per panicle was higher for plants from amended sub-plots where grain sterility rate was also low. The sterility rate varied from 10.15 to 12.32% against control (11.6%) for variety 1 and from 9.22 to 14.49% against 16.71% for control of variety 2. On all amended sub-plots, the average mass of 1,000 grains was high compared to control sub-plots. In conclusion, coffee parchment-based compost can be used to improve soil fertility and increase rice yields.