The effects on soil aggregation and carbon fixation of different organic amendments for restoring degraded soil in semiarid areas

Abstract. Revegetation programs in semiarid areas are associated with a high level of sapling mortality. Therefore, the development of alternative low cost and low environmental impact afforestation methods that ensure the survival of seedlings is necessary for the effective management of Mediterranean forest environments. This study assessed the effects of five types of soil amendment on the success of afforestation processes. The amendments tested were: i) straw mulching (SM); ii) mulch containing chipped branches of Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis L.) (PM); iii) sheep manure compost from a wastewater treatment plant (SH); iv) sewage sludge (RU); and v) TerraCottem hydroabsorbent polymer (HP). We hypothesized that in the context of dry-Mediterranean climatic conditions, the use of organic amendments would enhance plant establishment and ensure successful afforestation. The results showed that afforestation success varied among the various soil amendment treatments in the experimental plots. The amendments had no effect on soil organic carbon, pH, or salinity, but the results indicate that the addition of mulch or hydroabsorbent polymer can reduced transplant stress by increasing the soil water available for plant growth throughout the hydrological year, and potentially improve the success of afforestation by reducing plant mortality.

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Organic amendments for soil restoration in arid and semiarid areas: a review

AIMS Environmental Science ◽

10.3934/environsci.2017.5.640 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 640-676 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Carlos Garcia ◽

◽

Teresa Hernandez ◽

Maria D Coll ◽

Sara Ondoño

Keyword(s):

Organic Amendments ◽

Soil Restoration ◽

Semiarid Areas ◽

Arid And Semiarid Areas ◽

Arid And Semiarid

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Application of organic amendments to restore degraded soil: effects on soil microbial properties

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment ◽

10.1007/s10661-015-4293-0 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 187 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Jennifer Carlson ◽

Jyotisna Saxena ◽

Nicholas Basta ◽

Lakhwinder Hundal ◽

Dawn Busalacchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Amendments ◽

Degraded Soil ◽

Microbial Properties ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Soil Effects ◽

Soil Microbial Properties

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Effects of Spent Mushroom Compost on Physicochemical Properties of Degraded Soil

10.5194/se-2016-122 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

İlknur Gümüş ◽

Cevdet Şeker

Keyword(s):

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Field Capacity ◽

Modulus Of Rupture ◽

Laboratory Studies ◽

Mushroom Compost ◽

Degraded Soil ◽

Spent Mushroom Compost ◽

Incubation Periods

Abstract. Land and laboratory studies show that the application of organic amendments into the soil improves the physicochemical properties of it. The study aims to study explore spent mushroom compost (SMC) application on the physicochemical properties in weak-structured degraded soil. The approach involved establishing a plot experiment under laboratory conditions with spent mushroom compost applications (control, 0.5 %, 1 %, 2 %, 4 % and 8 %), soil samples were incubated at field capacity for 21, 42, and 62 days. Spent mushroom compost applications into the soil significantly increased the aggregate stability (AS) and decreased the modulus of rupture. Application of SMC at the rate of 1 %, 2 %, 4 %, and 8 % were significantly increased the total nitrogen (N) and soil organic carbon (SOC) contents of the degraded soil at all incubation periods (p

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