Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of five soil treatments: municipal sewage sludge (SS), horse manure (HM), chicken manure (CM), vermicompost (Vermi), and no-mulch (NM) native soil on the yield and quality of three lettuce, Lactuca sativa varieties (Romaine, Bibb, and Butterhead), three watermelons varieties (Sugar Baby, Crimson, and Charleston Grey), and three pumpkin varieties (Renegade, Howden, and Gumdrop). The objectives were to assess plant yield and quality responses to different amendments and soil urease, invertase, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity. At maturity, heads and fruits were harvested, weighed, and graded according to the USDA grades into Fancy, U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2. Overall lettuce yield obtained from SS and CM amended soils was significantly greater (783 and 772 g head-1, respectively) compared to Vermi amended soil (663 g head-1). Yield obtained from lettuce variety Romaine was superior (1.2 kg head-1) compared to Bibb and Butterhead varieties (0.51 and 0.49 kg head-1, respectively). Watermelons yield obtained from CM treatment was significantly greater (4.49 kg fruit-1) than that of NM control treatment (3 kg fruit-1). In addition, variety Charleston Grey produced the greatest fruit weight (4.9 kg fruit-1) compared to Crimson and Sugar Baby (3.26 and 3.06 kg fruit-1, respectively). Pumpkin yield obtained from SS treatment was significantly greater (4.4 kg fruit-1) than that of NM treatment (3.6 kg fruit-1). Pumpkin variety Howden produced the greatest pumpkin fruit weight (4.6 kg fruit-1) compared to Renegade and Gumdrop varieties (4.1 and 3.3 kg fruit-1, respectively). Soil properties fluctuated among treatments. The NO3 -N values were greater in HM and Vermi treatments, whereas NH4-N was greater in SS and CM treatments compared to the control. No significant differences were found in phosphorus content among treatments. Concentrations of K and C (557 and 1230 µg g-1 dry soil, respectively) were significantly greater in Vermi compared to the control treatments (336 and 1091 µg g-1 dry soil, respectively). Vermi increased soil urease activity compared to other treatments. All amendments tested increased soil invertase activity. Whereas CM increased alkaline phosphatase activity. These results combine information to crop producers looking for cost-effective organic fertilizers to meet the market needs.
Highlights
The aim in organic farming is to use of the least disruptive environmental practices to biological, chemical and physical processes, such as intercropping systems, biological pest control, evade the use of synthetic agrochemicals, maintain biodiversity and soil fertility, sequester soil organic carbon and nitrogen, and addition of animal manures to native agricultural soil to increase soil water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, reduce soil bulk density and enhance soil beneficial microorganisms
The impact of soil amendments, such as animal manures has not been completely investigated with respect to crop varietal selection under the growing global demand for food and the need to increase crop production through specific agricultural fertilization practices, such as restoring of soil organic matter by the addition of organic fertilizers that allow the recovery of soil fertility
U.S No 1 pumpkin consists of fruits which have varietal characteristics, well matured, not broken or cracked, free from soft rot or wet breakdown, free from damage by scars caused by rodents or other means, dry rot, freezing, dirt, disease, insects, or mechanical or other means
Summary
The aim in organic farming is to use of the least disruptive environmental practices to biological, chemical and physical processes, such as intercropping systems, biological pest control, evade the use of synthetic agrochemicals, maintain biodiversity and soil fertility, sequester soil organic carbon and nitrogen, and addition of animal manures to native agricultural soil to increase soil water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, reduce soil bulk density and enhance soil beneficial microorganisms. The increased size and frequent clean-up of many poultry operations make poultry manure available in sufficient quantities and on timely basis to supply most fertilizer needs Regarding biosolids, such as sewage sludge (SS) the world generates 1.3 billion tons of municipal solid waste (biosolids) annually. Synthetic commercial fertilizers contain nutrients designed to be rapidly released to growing plants once applied to soil This fast availability to crops increases nutrient mobility into surface runoff and infiltration water following rainfall events, whereas the organic N fraction in biosolids, such as SS, reduces the availability and mobility of nutrients into runoff and infiltration water [11], due to SS slow release of nutrients. The main objectives of this investigation were to: 1) assess the impact of four soil amendments (SS, CM, HM, Vermi) and native soil on the yield and quality of three lettuce, Lactuca sativa varieties (Romaine, Bibb, and Butterhead), three watermelons varieties (Sugar Baby, Crimson, and Charleston), and three pumpkin varieties (Renegade, Howden, and Gumdrop) and 2) investigate the impact of soil amendments on soil urease, invertase, and phosphatase activity in field grown vegetables
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