Influence of farm compost on soil quality and crop yields

Intensification of agriculture can have negative consequences such as increased
erosion, reduced biodiversity and a reduction in soil organic matter content
resulting in a decline in the quality of agricultural soils. The application of compost
can contribute to agricultural sustainability. Most of the research on
compost done so far has focused on the use of municipal solid waste compost.
Farm compost (FC) is another type of compost that is made of ingredients which
are available on the farm like wood chips and bark, manure, straw, crop residues,
mowed grass and soil. The use of FC is popular in organic farming and there is a
growing interest to use it in non-organic farming. However, there is a lack of
information on the agronomic value and environmental impact of FC. Therefore,
a long-term field experiment was started to assess the influence of repeated FC
applications on crop yields and soil quality. Repeated applications of FC
increased soil organic carbon content, hot-water extractable carbon, earthworm
numbers, microbial biomass-C and reduced soil bulk density. Furthermore the
effect of FC on crop yields became significant after the fourth year of compost
application underscoring the ability of compost amendments to support crop
yields over time.
Keywords: farm compost; soil quality; crop yield; indicators