Amending a loamy sand with three compost types: impact on soil quality

作者：Arthur E^*; Cornelis W M; Vermang J; De Rocker E

来源：Soil Use and Management, 2011, 27(1): 116-123.

DOI：10.1111/j.1475-2743.2010.00319.x

• Loamy sand
• compost
• porosity
• water retention
• soil physical quality
• index

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the long-term addition of three compost types (vegetable, fruit and yard waste compost - VFYW, garden waste compost - GW and spent mushroom compost - SM) on the physical properties of a sandy soil and to quantify any such effects using indicators of soil physical quality. Soil samples were taken from a field with annual compost applications of 30 m3/ha for 10 yr and various physico-chemical analyses were undertaken. Results show a significant increase in soil organic carbon (21%) with the VFYW and GW compost types. With SM, soil organic carbon increased by 16%. Increased soil macroporosity and water content at saturation with a corresponding decrease in bulk density were observed for all compost types. However, quantification of these improvements using existing soil physical quality indicators such as the 'S-index', soil air capacity and matrix porosity gave mixed results showing that these indices perform poorly when applied to sandy soils. It is concluded that the long-term application of compost does not significantly improve the physical properties of sandy soils, but the absence of adverse effects suggests that these soils are a viable disposal option for these composts, but new indices of quality are needed for the proper characterization of sandy soils.

• 出版日期2011-3