Direct and residual effect of various vermicompost on soil nutrient and nutrient uptake dynamics and productivity of four mustard Pak-Coi (Brassica rapa L.) sequences in organic farming system

N Nurhidayati,Indiyah Murwani,Masyhuri Machfudz

doi:10.1007/s40093-018-0203-0

Abstract

PurposeTo study the direct effect on the first mustard cropping and the residual effect of three kinds of vermicompost on the productivity of the second, third, fourth Pak-Coi mustard sequential cropping.MethodA field experiment was conducted for four sequential planting periods of mustard Pak-Coi in silty clay Inceptisol. The experiment used a factorial randomized block design with two factors. Factor I comprised three kinds of vermicompost with three types of bedding materials; V1—spent mushroom waste, V2—coconut husk, and V3—sugarcane trash, while factor II comprised four different application rates: 5, 10, 15, and 20 t ha−1. From these two factors, there were 12 treatments plus one control treatment (without vermicompost application).ResultsApplication of vermicompost increased soil NPK content. The highest nutrient uptake was also found in the residual effect for the second cropping. Nutrient uptake of the third and fourth mustard cropping had a decreasing trend. The highest yield on the first cropping was found in the application of vermicompost V2 and V1 with the application rates of 10–15 t ha−1. In the second cropping, the productivity increased, whereas the third and fourth sequential cropping decreased in the vermicompost V1 and V2, whereas in the vermicompost V3 the productivity of the third and fourth cropping was slightly increased.ConclusionThe application of vermicompost to organic farming provides nutrient availability in four mustard subsequent planting periods. Differences in the dynamics of nutrient availability, nutrient uptake and crop yields are affected by the vermicompost materials used.

Highlights

The long-term overcropping and overuse of inorganic fertilizers without organic input degrade soil quality and health and cause environmental pollution as well (Albiach et al 2000)
Nutrient dynamics of P in soils differ from N and K, where the highest P nutrient availability was found in the first soil sampling (2 weeks after transplanting)
The highest residual effect of the three kinds of vermicompost on K uptake of the second mustard was found in vermicompost V1 with application rate of 15–20 t ha−1, while the highest residual effect on the third and fourth mustard was found in the plot treated with vermicompost V3 with application rate of 15–20 t h a−1. These results demonstrated that the vermicompost derived from bedding of sugarcane trash gave the best residual effect on nutrient uptake until the fourth mustard cropping (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

The long-term overcropping and overuse of inorganic fertilizers without organic input degrade soil quality and health and cause environmental pollution as well (Albiach et al 2000). Decreasing soil quality can be avoided by proper and careful soil management as practiced by organic farmers. The application of organic fertilizer is an important practice in organic farming to improve soil quality, enhance microbial. Vermicompost is a compost produced by earthworm activity. Earthworms play an important role in degrading organic materials. This process gradually decreases C:N ratio and increases the surface area of organic matter, making it easier for microorganisms to decompose it. Castings produced by earthworms will be biochemically

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