Valorization of Aromatic Flower Waste as Soil Amendments: Impacts on Nutrient Dynamics and the Growth of Arachis hypogaea L.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a raw organic composite, made from flower waste, in promoting plant growth and enhancing soil fertility. The flower‐based amendment was prepared by thermally treating (55°C) dried flower wastes from Rosa indica , Chrysanthemum morifolium , and Jasminum auriculatum. Physicochemical parameters were also measured. The presence of bioactive compounds in the flower‐based amendment was confirmed through gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Its efficacy in promoting seed germination and plant growth was tested using Arachis hypogaea L., with assessments of seedling emergence, shoot length, total foliage, chlorophyll content, and groundnut yield in pot assays. In addition, the potential non‐target toxicity of the flower‐based amendment was evaluated through in silico analysis, examining its effects on host plant growth, soil‐beneficial microbes, insect pests, and fungal pathogens. The treatment significantly improved key nutritional parameters and induced notable changes in the physicochemical properties of the flower‐based amendment. It resulted in substantial improvements in seedling emergence (99%), and plant growth, and yield under controlled pot conditions. The flower‐based amendment also enhanced soil nutritional quality, increasing the levels of major nutrients, including total nitrogen (81.74 mg/kg), phosphorus (78.04 mg/kg), and potassium (297 mg/kg). Notably, the docking analysis indicated that 1,3‐Dioxolane, 4‐ethyl‐5‐octyl‐2,2‐bis(trifluoromethyl)‐ showed a high binding affinity (−9.9 ± 0.59 Kcal/mol) against the Helicoverpa armigera protein. Molecular docking further predicted potential interactions of the bioactive compounds with selected target proteins while indicating no significant inhibitory interaction with the selected soil‐beneficial microorganism target protein. These findings demonstrate the potential of the flower‐based amendment to promote plant growth under controlled pot conditions and provide preliminary computational evidence of potential inhibitory activity against selected pests and pathogens. Further biological validation through in vitro, in vivo, and field studies is required to confirm these predicted activities before practical agricultural application.