Formulation of Fertilizers from Theobroma Cacao Pods and Moringa Oleifera Leaves and Their Effects on Nutritive Quality of Eggplant Solanum aethiopicumGilo
Declining soil fertility due to continuous cropping on smallholder farms, combined with the rising cost of imported chemical fertilizers, necessitates the search for local resources for soil fertility management. The objective of this study was to identify the most effective fertilizer—based on cocoa pod husks enriched with *Moringa* leaves—for boosting the accumulation of nutrients, minerals, and phenolic compounds in the fruit of the *Solanum aethiopicum* eggplant (Gilo N’Drowa variety). A randomized complete block design with three replicates was used. The experiment involved five organic fertilizer combinations (F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5) alongside a control (T0). Three increasing application rates were employed (1, 2, and 4 kg/m2). The trials were conducted over three cropping cycles. The chemical composition of the fertilizers was determined, as were the levels of dry matter, crude protein, total phenols, flavonoids, and minerals. Analysis results showed that adding *Moringa* leaves to cocoa pod husks increased the fertilizer’s concentration of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, thereby reducing the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio. Increasing the proportion of *Moringa* leaves in the fertilizer mixture had a significant positive effect on the accumulation of protein, minerals, total phenols, and flavonoids in the fruit. The application rate did not have a uniform effect across all these parameters. The F4 mixture (25% cocoa pod husks and 75% *Moringa* leaves), which exhibited optimal characteristics (0.3% P, 5.5% K, 4% Ca, 0.5% Mg, and a C/N ratio of 21.4), resulted in the highest average levels of nutrients and bioactive compounds in the fruit. Consequently, the partial substitution of cocoa pod husks with 75% *Moringa* leaves in fertilizers should be encouraged in order to enrich eggplant fruits with nutrients and bioactive compounds.
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