Urine could be the future of fertilizers for “green” pumpkin production, according to a study from Finnish scientists.

The team has compared the effects on growth of conventional inorganic fertilizer against urine obtained from so-called eco-toilets that separate urine from other human waste. The researchers demonstrated a more than 17 tonnes per hectare increase in yield was possible with urine fertilizer compared to unfertilized controls. Yields were slightly lower than with inorganic fertilizer. The study points to a future use for the huge volumes of urine produced each year and microbial studies offer no concerns regarding hygiene for pumpkin quality as the soluble sugar content, protein profile and taste quality were similar regardless of fertilizer treatment.

• Fertilizer value of urine in pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima L.) cultivation
  S. K. Pradhan, S. Pitkänen, H.i Heinonen-Tanski
  Agric. Food Sci. 2010, 19 (1), 57-67.