Effects of Green Compost on Soil Biochemical Characteristics and Nutritive Quality of Leafy Vegetables

Abstract

Green compost can improve the quality of fruits and vegetables through an increase in sugars and organic acids, which is extremely important because today's consumer is concerned about healthy and nutritional properties of food. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of green compost used as soil amendment on phenols and vitamin C content and on antioxidant capacity of leafy vegetables. Plants of Lactuca sativa var. acephala cultivar Red Salad Bowl and Spinacia oleracea cultivar Lorelay were grown in three soil treatments: a) 100% soil, b) 75% soil plus 25% compost c) 50% soil plus 50% compost. Results show that adding green compost to soil improved its fertility and the growth of plants. The use of compost for lettuce did not show any differences in antioxidant capacity and vitamin C content at either compost concentration (25 and 50%) while a significant reduction in phenols was evident. The Chl content decreased in spinach as a consequence of compost addition while no changes were observed in lettuce. However, the healthy properties of spinach decreased as a function of the compost concentration in the soil.