Short-term effect of compost amendment on the fertility of calcareous soil and basil growth

ABSTRACT

Organic wastes can also be used to increase the amount of organic matter in humus-poor agricultural soils and thus maintain soil fertility. After obtaining sugar from sugar beet plant, a food industry waste rich in organic matter and nutrients called vinasse emerges. In this study, it was aimed to determine the effects of vinasse compost on soil fertility. In this context, the compost was applied alone and together with chemical fertilizer to a calcareous soil. Then, an aromatic plant was produced under greenhouse conditions. The study was carried out in a randomized complete block with three replications according to factorial experiment design. Chemical and microbiological analyses were carried out on soil samples taken during the plant’s growth. According to the results obtained, it was determined that the nutrients examined in terms of soil chemical properties (excluding exchangeable potassium) showed a significant increase with high application rate of the compost supplemented with chemical fertilization. Enzyme activities (excluding dehydrogenase) examined in terms of soil microbiological properties showed a significant increase (urease = 84.96%, alkaline phosphatase = 53.02%, β-glycosidase = 83.61%) compared to control with the application of the compost alone. It was determined that the compost should be supported with chemical fertilizer in terms of its use in terms of improving soil fertility, and its pragmatic effect in plant production is high during early vegetative growth of the plant.

KEYWORDS:

• Enzyme activity
• organic fertilization
• soil quality
• sustainability
• waste

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Deryagri L.L.C. and Kircami L.L.C. for their support in this study.