Assessment of chemical composition of plants cultivated on two different soils amended with sewage sludge compost using MANOVA

Abstract

Application of organic fertilizers may replenish soil organic matter, improve soil fertility and increase plant yield and its quality. This research deals with the effects of soil amendment with sewage sludge compost (SSC) on the chemical composition of plants (white mustard, triticale and white lupine) cultivated on two contrasting soils (light vs. medium). A 3-year pot experiment was conducted and SSC at the rate of 6 Mg ha⁻¹ was applied to the soils.The study clearly demonstrated that SSC as an organic fertilizer had a minor influence on the modification of the chemical composition of shoots and grain cultivated in crop rotation plants and it was more evident in medium soil. The statistically confirmed effect was mainfested in higher c ontents of N and P in grain of plants in the 2^nd and 3^rd year of the experiment.

Keywords:

• cluster analysis
• macroelements
• MANOVA
• plants
• sewage sludge compost
• soils