Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
10.3.2.1
MSW Compost Application Improves Soil Physico-Chemical
Properties
Compost from MSW represents an important resource of organic matter to maintain
and restore soil fertility. Since it is important source of the plants nutrient and is
of great value nowadays, particularly in those countries where the organic matter
content of the soil is low (Castaldi et al.
2004
). Bouzaiane et al. (
2007a
) showed
that the application of MSW compost improves the organic matter of degraded soils
in semiarid zone of Mediterranean countries like Tunisia. Roca-Perez et al. (
2009
)
reported that the application of MSWC into the soil increased soil quality in two
soils from Spain and increased soil organic matter, N, P and stable aggregates from
both amended soils.
The soil addition with mature or stable MSW compost represents a valuable and
effective tool to increase the long term of soil aggregates. Recently Spaccini and
Piccolo (
2013
) showed that field application on three different agricultural soils of
mature compost improve the distribution of water stable aggregates with the signifi-
cant improvement of soil aggregate stability.
In the other hand MSW compost could reduce the adverse effects of salinity
showed by Lakdhar et al. (
2008
) in
Hordeum maritimum
under greenhouse condi-
tions. Plants were cultivated in pots filled with soil added with 0 and 40 t ha
−1
of
MSW compost, and irrigated twice a week with tap water at two salinities (0 and
4 g l
−1
NaCl). According to the authors the MSW compost may be safely applied to
salt-affected soils without adverse effects on plant physiology.
10.3.2.2
MSW Compost Application Improves Soil Microbial Biomass
and Activity
Addition of good quality of compost may increase global microbial biomass and
enhance soil enzyme activity (Albiach et al.
2000
; Debosz et al.
2002
; Garcia-
Gill et al.
2000
). The improve of this soil biological properties was study with
many authors to evaluate the MSW compost effect. Perruci (
1990
) showed that
microbial biomass, carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus were significantly
increased over a period of 12 months in a soil treated with compost of municipal
solid waste.
According to Garcia-Gill et al. (
2000
), a long-term field experiment utilizing
barley received MSW compost at 20 t ha
−1
(C20) or at 80 t ha
−1
(C80) were studied.
The effects of these applications on soil enzyme activities and microbial biomass
at crop harvest were measured after nine years in upper horizon of 0-20 cm. In
comparison with the control (no amendment soil) MSW compost addition increased
biomass C by 10 and 46 % at application rates of 20 and 80 t ha
−1
, respectively.
The authors evaluated enzyme activities and they showed that the dehydrogenase
and catalase enzymes, were higher in the MSW compost treatments by 730 (C20)
and 200 % (C80), respectively, indicating an increase in the microbial metabolism
