Urban Highway Roadside Soils and Shrub Plantings Enhanced by Surface-Applied and Incorporated Organic Amendments

Degraded, highly compacted soils along roadsides present an inhospitable environment for trees and shrubs and lead to the failure of urban landscapes. Developing and testing practices to ameliorate urban soils, thereby improving plant growth and survival, is essential. This research compared the effects of waste-derived soil amendments on woody landscape plants and soil properties on a compacted highway roadside in Tacoma, Washington, U.S., and compared surface application versus incorporation of amendments. Treatments included yard debris compost (surface-applied and incorporated), biosolids blend (surfaceapplied and incorporated), and worm castings (surface-applied only), plus a control with no amendments. Amendments were applied 8 cm deep, and incorporated to a 10–15 cm depth on the tilled plots. An 8-cm layer of bark mulch was blown onto all plots, including the control. Rhus aromatica, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, and Mahonia aquifolium were transplanted from 3.8 L containers in March 2007. One year later, soil under the mulch/amendments was analyzed for bulk density, total carbon, and nitrogen. Plant growth and survival was evaluated for three years. Incorporating soil amendments reduced bulk density by >50% and increased soil C and N tenfold in the incorporated zone. Soil properties within the surface and control treatments or within the incorporated treatments were not different. All amendments significantly improved plant growth in comparison to the bark mulch control, in the order worm castings ≥ biosolids blend ≥ yard debris compost. Neither plant growth nor plant survival was affected by surface application versus incorporation, and plant roots remained confined to the amended zone.

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Soil and Redosier Dogwood Response to Incorporated and Surface-applied Compost

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.43.7.2143 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 43 (7) ◽

pp. 2143-2150 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Craig Cogger ◽

Rita Hummel ◽

Jennifer Hart ◽

Andy Bary

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Shoot Growth ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Moisture Retention ◽

Soil C ◽

Surface Application ◽

Soil Moisture Retention ◽

Trees And Shrubs

Although compost can improve soil properties related to plant growth and water quality, the value of amending landscape beds for trees and shrubs has been questioned. This research assesses short and midterm effects of compost application and bark mulch on soils and plants in landscape beds and compares the effects of compost applied to the surface or incorporated. Trees and shrubs were established in 2001 in a replicated field experiment with the following treatments: 1) unamended control; 2) compost (7.6-cm depth) applied to the surface; 3) 7.6 cm compost incorporated by rototilling to a depth of 20 cm; 4) bark mulch (7.6 cm); 5) compost surface-applied (7.6 cm) + bark mulch (7.6 cm); and 6) compost incorporated + bark mulch. Soil measurements were made one or more times between 2001 and 2007, including bulk density, compaction, infiltration, aggregate stability, soil moisture tension, total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), nitrate-N, Bray-phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, and pH. Bark and compost mulch depths were determined three times and plant growth measured annually. Half the depth of surface-applied compost and 26% to 41% of the initial soil C increase from incorporated compost remained 5 years after application; and significant changes in bulk density, compaction, infiltration, and nutrients were apparent. Compost incorporation had a greater effect than surface application on soil C, N, and bulk density. Infiltration was similar in incorporated and surface treatments, and nutrient availability was similar except for N. Soil moisture retention was improved with surface-applied compost. Bark had similar effects as surface-applied compost on bulk density, soil moisture retention, and infiltration. During the first 4 years after transplanting, dogwoods in the compost incorporated + bark mulch treatment typically had larger shoot growth indices. By Year 5, treatment no longer influenced shoot growth. Plants in compost-treated plots had darker green leaves. Surface application of compost could provide significant benefits where incorporation is not feasible.

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Combined biochar and organic waste have little effect on chemical soil properties and plant growth

Spanish Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.3232/sjss.2019.v9.n3.04 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues ◽

Tais Garmus ◽

Margarida Arrobas ◽

Alexandre Gonçalves ◽

Ermelinda Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Organic Waste ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Mineral Fertilization ◽

Soil C ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Olive Mill

Biochar has received great attention as a soil conditioner since it can potentially sequester carbon (C) in soil, enhance soil physical, chemical and biological properties and improve crop productivity. This study reports the results of a pot experiment with olive (Olea europaea L.), carried out in an acidic and clay loam textured soil, and cultivated during two growing seasons under eight fertilization treatments. They included mineral fertilization equivalent to a rate of 100 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5 and K2O (NPK), biochar applied at a rate of 10 (B10), and at 20 (B20) t biochar ha-1, biochar-NPK mixture (B10+NPK), biochar-waste mixtures with mushroom waste compost (B10+MWC), olive mill waste (B10 + OMW), and municipal solid waste (B10+MSW), the organic materials applied at a rate of 20 t ha-1, together with a treatment without fertilization (control). Biochar in the B20 treatment increased the soil C content in comparison to the control. Biochar in the B10+NPK treatment reduced soil nitrate levels compared to NPK treatment. No other benefits to soil properties, nutrient uptake or plant growth were observed with the use of biochar or any positive synergistic effect with the mixture of biochar with the other organic amendments. MSW, OMW and MWC tended to increase soil pH in comparison to the control. Most of the studies with biochar were carried out in soils with edaphic limitations or harsh environmental conditions limiting plant growth, which may have facilitated the detection of favorable effects. Under less limited soils or stressful conditions for plants, such as the ones established in this experiment, the benefits of using biochar were poor.

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Effects of topsoil treatments on afforestation in a dry Mediterranean climate (southern Spain)

Solid Earth ◽

10.5194/se-7-1479-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 1479-1489 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Paloma Hueso-González ◽

Juan Francisco Martínez-Murillo ◽

Jose Damian Ruiz-Sinoga

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Pinus Halepensis ◽

Low Cost ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Growth And Survival ◽

Sheep Manure ◽

High Level ◽

Survival Of Seedlings

Abstract. Afforestation 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 crucial for improving the efficiency of Mediterranean forest management. This study assessed the effects of five types of soil amendments on the afforestation success (e.g., plant growth and survival) of a Mediterranean semiarid area. The amendments tested were (i) straw mulch; (ii) mulch containing chipped branches of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis L.); (iii) sheep manure compost; (iv) sewage sludge from a wastewater treatment plant; and (v) TerraCottem hydroabsorbent polymer. 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 indicated that the addition of mulch or hydroabsorbent polymer can reduce 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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Influence of Organic Amendments on Soil Properties, Microflora and Plant Growth

Sustainable Agriculture Reviews - Sustainable Agriculture Reviews 52 ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-73245-5_5 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147-191

Author(s):

Sanya Chaudhari ◽

Abhidha Upadhyay ◽

Shweta Kulshreshtha

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Organic Amendments

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Woody organic amendments for retaining soil water, improving soil properties and enhancing plant growth in desertified soils of Ningxia, China

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.09.009 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 310 ◽

pp. 143-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Zhigang Li ◽

Rebecca L. Schneider ◽

Stephen J. Morreale ◽

Yingzhong Xie ◽

Changxiao Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Water ◽

Organic Amendments

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Variations in Soil Properties and Okra Yield as Influenced by Different Types and Forms of Organic Amendments

Journal of Agriculture and Ecology Research International ◽

10.9734/jaeri/2020/v21i430141 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 58-67

Author(s):

B. O. Adebo ◽

A. O. Aweto ◽

K. Ogedengbe

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Amendments ◽

Block Design ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Organic Wastes ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Southwestern Nigeria ◽

Combined Application ◽

Combined Use ◽

The Cost

The overexploitation of agricultural lands have necessitated the use of fertilizers to enhance food production. However, due to the cost and environmental impacts of mineral fertilizers, the utilization of readily available organic wastes as soil amendments have become necessary. The effect of the sole or combined application of yam, cassava and plantain peels on soil properties was evaluated in an on-farm study conducted at Akufo farm settlement, Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with fifteen treatments which consisted of seven amendments (peels of yam (Y), plantain (P), cassava (C), Y+P, Y+C, C+P, Y+C+P) applied in two forms (ground and unground) at a uniform rate of 4 t ha-1 and a control (without amendment). After 3 months of application, the soils were analyzed to determine the effect of the applied treatments on soil properties, after which they were sown to okra. All the amended soils had relatively higher organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and exchangeable bases than the control, but ground treatments performed relatively better than unground ones. Also, irrespective of treatment and form of application, okra yield was considerably improved by the utilized amendments, with ground Y+C recording the highest (14.33 t ha-1). This study showed that the sole or combined use of yam, plantain and cassava peels, either ground as powder or used as mulch, has the potential to improve soil fertility and crop yield and may provide an effective and simple means to utilize organic wastes as soil amendments, especially among poor farmers who cannot afford composting technology.

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The impacts of a biochar application on selected soil properties and bacterial communities in an Albic Clayic Luvisol

Soil and Water Research ◽

10.17221/19/2019-swr ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 85-92

Author(s):

Chengsen Zhao ◽

Qingqing Xu ◽

Lin Chen ◽

Xiaoqing Li ◽

Yutian Meng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Bacterial Community ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Bacterial Communities ◽

Bacterial Community Structure ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Soil Bacterial

In this four-year study, we focused on the impacts of a biochar application on physicochemical soil properties (soil total carbon, total nitrogen, total potassium, total phosphorus, available nitrogen, available potassium, available phosphorus, pH, bulk density and moisture) and bacterial communities in an Albic Clayic Luvisol. The biochar was applied to plots only once with rates of 0, 10, 20 and 30 t/ha at the beginning of the experiment. The soil samples were collected from the surface (0–10 cm) and second depth (10–20 cm) soil layers after four years. The results showed that that the soil total carbon (TC) and pH increased, but the soil bulk density (BD) decreased with the biochar application. The soil bacterial sequences determined by the Illumina MiSeq method resulted in a decrease in the relative abundance of Acidobacteria, but an increase in the Actinobacteria with the biochar application. The bacterial diversity was significantly influenced by the biochar application. The nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the soil bacterial community structure was affected by both the biochar addition and the soil depth. The Mantel test analysis indicated that the bacterial community structure significantly correlated to a soil with a pH (r = 0.525, P = 0.001), bulk density (r = 0.539, P = 0.001) and TC (r = 0.519, P = 0.002) only. In addition, most of the differences in the soil properties, bacterial relative abundance and community composition in the second depth soil layer were greater than those in the surface soil layer.

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Development of a Swiss National Soil Spectral Model Library using data-driven modeling

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-22569 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Philipp Baumann ◽

Anatol Helfenstein ◽

Andreas Gubler ◽

Reto Meuli ◽

Armin Keller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy ◽

Monitoring Network ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Data Driven ◽

Local Approach ◽

Organic C ◽

Soil C ◽

Over Time

Soil data at different scales are needed for assessments and monitoring of soil functions. Soil diffuse reflectance spectroscopy using visible&#8211;Near Infrared and mid-Infrared energies can be used to estimate a range of soil properties, rapidly and inexpensively. However the spectroscopic modeling is challenging because of the large soil diversity and its complex composition. We developed a National Soil Spectral library (SSL) (n = 4339) using samples from (i) the Swiss Soil Monitoring Network (NABO; 7 sampling campaigns at 71 agricultural locations since 1985, n = 592) and (ii) the National Biodiversity Monitoring (BDM) Program (n = 4295, 1094 locations across a 5x5 km grid). The SSL will provide spectroscopic models for estimation of functional soil properties at different scales (e.g. total carbon (C) and nitrogen, organic C, texture, pH and cation exchange capacity). We used a rule-based algorithm, Cubist, for the modelling. The models were tuned across full combinations of {5, 10, 20, 50, 100} committees and {2, 5, 7, 9} neighbors, using 5 times repeated 10-fold cross-validation grouped by location. Further, transfer learning with RS-LOCAL tuning was performed for each of the 71 monitoring sites separately by a hold out approach in order to select optimal instances from the remaining SSL. Total soil C in the reference data ranged from 0.1% to 58.3% C and the best Cubist model had a cross-validated RMSE of 0.82% C. The RS-LOCAL approach (RMSEmean = 0.14 %) was on average 2.5 times more accurate for the estimation of C over time at each of the 71 NABO sites compared to the general Cubist approach. Our results suggest that data-driven selection of SSL instances targeted to closely related soils produces less biased estimation of soil properties over time at smaller geographic extents. The general Cubist calibration models are useful when reference analyses in a new study area are scarce. In conclusion, the Swiss SSL models can be used to cost-efficiently estimate a range of soil properties for a diverse applications and purposes in Switzerland.

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Changes in selected physico-chemical properties of floodplain soils in three different land-use types after flooding

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/435/2020-pse ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 99-109

Author(s):

Ivan Suchara ◽

Julie Sucharová ◽

Marie Holá

Keyword(s):

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Bulk Density ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Clay Material ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Organo Clay

This article provides information on selected physico-chemical properties, including soil colour, texture, electrical conductivity, pHH2O, pHCaCl2, content of total carbon and Q4/6 quotient, of the topsoil and subsoil of former flood sediments at three diverse vegetation plots in a floodplain and in two reference plots unaffected by floods, and changes of some soil properties caused by a new subsequent flood. Aggradation of flood sediments in the area was controlled both by local terrain morphology and vegetation type cover. Differences in the properties of sediments in the individual plot types were caused by the different production of litter, root biomass and carbon cycling before the new flood. Vertical distributions and inventories of 137Cs in soils revealed the position and proportion of modern sediments in soil profiles, man-made filling of former erosion grooves and ploughing depths. The new flood of a lower hydrological power aggraded a thin layer of organo-clay sediment on the soil surface but showed minor effects on the investigated soil properties. The lowest dry bulk density and highest total porosity values were found in the topsoil of woody and grassy plots after the flood implying no substantial break down of soil aggregates by the flood. The highest dry bulk density values in the subsoil of fields indicated soil compaction from agricultural machinery. No increased soil salinity was found after the flood. The flood did not significantly affect the pHH2O of the topsoil and subsoil; however, a significant increase in pHCaCl2 was found for the topsoil of grassy plots and for all topsoil samples from the park. No significant increases in total carbon (Ctot) contents were found in topsoils of any plot types after the flood in spite of an accumulation of thin organo-clay material on the soil surface after the flood. However, significant increases in Ctot in subsoils of all plot types indicate the vertical migration of colloidal and dissolved organic carbon in soils during the flood. Ctot contents positively correlated with electrical conductivity values and negative correlated with pH values. The relatively minor changes in soil physico-chemical properties found after the flood can be explained by the short duration and small dynamic power of the flood, and the timing of sampling when the flood had receded and soil aeration was already being restored.

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Tree-based Mulches Influence Soil Properties and Plant Growth

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.22.3.353 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 353-361

Author(s):

Adam O. Maggard ◽

Rodney E. Will ◽

Thomas C. Hennessey ◽

Craig R. McKinley ◽

Janet C. Cole

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Eastern Redcedar ◽

Growth And Survival ◽

Volumetric Soil Moisture ◽

Weed Growth ◽

Soil Temperatures ◽

Yellow Pine ◽

Southern Yellow Pine

The objective of this research was to determine the response of soil properties and plant growth to the application of various tree-based mulches and provide information specifically regarding attributes of eastern redcedar mulch (Juniperus virginiana). Eastern redcedar mulch, cypress mulch (Taxodium distichum), pine bark nuggets [southern yellow pine (Pinus sp.)], pine mulch (southern yellow pine), hardwood mulch [maple (Acer sp.), oak (Quercus sp.)], red-dyed mulch [maple, poplar (Populus sp.)], and grand eucalyptus mulch (Eucalyptus grandis), as well as two nonmulched controls (with and without chemical weed control) were tested. Volumetric soil moisture, soil nutrients, soil temperature, weed growth, and growth and survival of planted annuals and trees were measured. Compared with nonmulched controls, mulch treatments generally increased growth of annuals and trees and decreased weed growth, but few differences in measured variables were noted among mulch types. Mulched plots had greater volumetric soil moisture than nonmulched plots during extended periods without rainfall. Mulched plots had more moderate diurnal soil temperatures than nonmulched control plots. Soil pH and soil potassium increased with hardwood mulch during the 2 years of the study. These results indicate tree-based mulch benefits plant growth and survival by maintaining greater soil moisture, decreasing competition from weeds, and moderating soil temperatures compared with not using mulch. Eastern redcedar mulch provides similar benefits as other common wood mulches and is a viable forest product.

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