Growth, mineral nutrition and mycorrhizal colonization of red clover and cucumber plants grown in a soil amended with composted urban wastes

• Published in: Plant and soil Vol. 205; no. 1; pp. 85 - 92
• Main Authors: Sainz, M.J. (Santiago de Compostela Univ., Lugo (Spain). Facultad de Veterinaria, Dept. de Produccion Vegetal), Taboada-Castro, M.T, Vilarino, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Kluwer Academic Publishers 01-08-1998; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acaulospora; Acid soils; Agricultural soils; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; AMENDEMENT ORGANIQUE; Biological and medical sciences; Clover; Colonization; Compost; COMPOSTAGE; COMPOSTING; Composts; Cucumbers; CUCUMIS SATIVUS; DECHET URBAIN; DESECHOS URBANOS; Dry matter; ELABORACION DEL COMPOST; ENMIENDAS ORGANICAS; Farming systems; Fertility; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; LUMBRICIDAE; MICORRIZAS ARBUSCULARES VESICULARES; MINERAL NUTRIENTS; MYCORHIZE A VESICULE ET ARBUSCULE; NUTRIENTES MINERALES; ORGANIC AMENDMENTS; Other nutrients. Amendments. Solid and liquid wastes. Sludges and slurries; Plant growth; Plant species; Plants; Soil amendment; Soil fungi; Soil inoculation; Soil treatment; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Solid wastes; SUBSTANCE NUTRITIVE MINERALE; Substrates; TRIFOLIUM PRATENSE; Urban soils; URBAN WASTES; Vermicomposting; VESICULAR ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAE; Growth; Phycomycetes; Urban waste; Trifolium pratense; Inorganic element; Fungi; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Thallophyta; Symbiosis; Compost; Symbionte; Nutrition; Interspecific comparison; Cucurbitaceae; Acaulospora; Cucumis sativus; Leguminosae; Vegetable crop; Mycorrhiza; Nutrient; Spermatophyta; Fodder crop; Colonization; Organic amendment
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1004357330318

The utility of an urban solid waste, either freshly composted or vermicomposted, for improvement of plant growth in a soil B horizon was investigated. Growth, mineral nutrition and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization of cucumber and red clover plants were studied in an experiment carried out under controlled growing conditions, using different mixtures of soil and composts as plant substrates. Soil inoculation with the AM fungus Acaulospora sp. did not benefit growth of plants when soil was used as the only substrate, possibly due to its poor fertility. Results showed that neither mycorrhizal plant species grew when soil was mixed with composted urban waste or when compost was used as the only substrate. However, amendment of soil with 10 or 50% vermicompost significantly increased dry matter yields of red clover and cucumber plants, compared to treatments where soil was the only substrate. Addition of vermicompost also increased Olsen-P and other mineral elements in soil and shoot P, Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn and Zn concentrations, but caused a significant reduction on root length colonized by AM fungi in red clover plants. It is concluded that application of high amounts of vermicompost from composted urban wastes to soils might cause a significant reduction of activity of AM fungi, which must be taken into account when using these organic amendments in agricultural systems.