Effectiveness of crop‐waste compost on a Eutric Ferralsol
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Abstract Lack of environmentally safe handling of garbage is a growing problem in urban sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Composting the garbage for soil‐fertility management presents an opportunity for reducing the risks of environmental pollution. This study aimed at evaluating the agronomic effectiveness and nutrient‐utilization efficiency of urban market crop‐waste compost on a Eutric Ferralsol. The study was conducted in central Uganda with treatments including compost applied at 0, 5, and 10 t ha –1 (d.w. basis); inorganic N fertilizer at rates of 0, 40, and 80 kg ha –1 and inorganic P fertilizer at 0, 9, and 18 kg ha –1 . Maize ( Zea mays L.), variety Longe 4 was used as the test crop. The nutrient quality of the compost was medium with total N of 0.9% and total P of 0.45%. Compost significantly increased plant height, LAI, stover weight, and grain yield; however, there were no significant differences between the 5 and 10 t ha –1 rates. Nitrogen also had a significant effect on LAI and stover yield, though there was no significant difference between the 40 and 80 kg ha –1 rates. Likewise, P increased plant height with no significant difference between the 9 and 18 kg ha –1 rates. Mineral N at 40 kg ha –1 led to the highest increase in N uptake by plants (76%) above the control. Nitrogen‐ and P‐utilization efficiencies for the 5 t ha –1 compost rate were more than twice that of the 10 t ha –1 rate. The highest P‐utilization efficiency (69%) was obtained where 9 kg ha –1 P was applied with 40 kg ha –1 N, while the highest N‐utilization efficiency (48%) was obtained with the 5 t ha –1 compost applied together with N at 40 kg ha –1 . From the above studies, it is clear that effectiveness of the 5 t ha –1 compost rate is the most promising.Keywords:
Stover
RAPID CHANGES IN SOIL CARBON AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES DUE TO STOVER REMOVAL FROM NO-TILL CORN PLOTS
Harvesting corn (Zea mays L.) stover for producing ethanol may be beneficial to palliate the dependence on fossil fuels and reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, but stover harvesting may deplete soil organic carbon (SOC) and degrade soil structure. We investigated the impacts of variable rates of stover removal from no-till (NT) continuous corn systems on SOC and soil structural properties after 1 year of stover removal in three soils in Ohio: Rayne silt loam (fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludults) at Coshocton, Hoytville clay loam (fine, illitic, mesic Mollic Epiaqualfs) at Hoytville, and Celina silt loam (fine, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Hapludalfs) at South Charleston. This study also assessed relationships between SOC and soil structural properties as affected by stover management. Six stover treatments that consisted of removing 100, 75, 50, 25, and 0, and adding 100% of corn stover corresponding to 0 (T0), 1.25 (T1.25), 2.50 (T2.5), 3.75 (T3.75), 5.00 (T5), and 10.00 (T10) Mg ha−1 of stover, respectively, were studied for their total SOC concentration, bulk density (ρb), aggregate stability, and tensile strength (TS) of aggregates. Effects of stover removal on soil properties were rapid and significant in the 0- to 5-cm depth, although the magnitude of changes differed among soils after only 1 year of stover removal. The SOC concentration declined with increase in removal rates in silt loams but not in clay loam soils. It decreased by 39% at Coshocton and 30% at Charleston within 1 year of complete stover removal. At the same sites, macroaggregates contained 10% to 45% more SOC than microaggregates. Stover removal reduced >4.75-mm macroaggregates and increased microaggregates (P < 0.01). Mean weight diameter (MWD) and TS of aggregates in soils without stover (T0) were 1.7 and 3.3 times lower than those in soils with normal stover treatments (T5) across sites. The SOC concentration was negatively correlated with ρb and positively with MWD and LogTS. Stover removal at rates as low as 1.25 Mg ha−1 reduced SOC and degraded soil structure even within 1 year, but further monitoring is needed to establish threshold levels of stover removal in relation to changes in soil quality.
Stover
Corn stover
Silt
Soil carbon
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