EDAFOLOGÍA, Vol. 10 (3), pp. 161-168, 2003
EFECTOS DE LA APLICACIÓN DE COMPOST EN LAS PROPIEDADES FÍSICAS Y QUÍMICAS DE SUELOS ALTAMENTE DEGRADADOS POR MOVIMIENTOS DE TIERRAS
M. C. RAMOS, J. A. MARTÍNEZ-CASASNOVAS
Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Ciencias del Suelo, Universidad de Lleida, Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida. email: [email protected].
The main aim of this study is to know the impact of compost addition on soils resulted from heavy land transformations carried out for the mechanisation of agricultural labours in vineyards located in the Anoia-Alt Penedès region (NE Spain). The soils show very low organic matter content (<1%) and weak aggregate stability. The improvement in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potasium in treated vs. untreated soils is analysed, as well as the changes in aggregate stability against different disaggregation processes: slaking, cracking and mechanical breakdown. Aggregate stability is measured by the mean weight diameter (MWD) of the remaining fractions after disaggregation. The study was conducted in a commercial vineyard, in which soil surface samples (0-20 cm) were collected in treated and untreated soils one year after the addition of composted cattle manure in a levelled plot before vineyard establishment. Organic matter increased from 4 to 18 g kg-1, N from 0.3 to 1.2 g kg-1, P from 39 to 139 mg kg-1 and K from 143 to 200 mg kg-1 in treated versus untreated soils, which represents a positive effect. There is also a positive effect on aggregate stability against the processes of slaking caused by fast wetting (MWDR increased from 0.14 to 0.25 mm) and against cracking caused by slow wetting (MWDL increased from 0.75 to 0.91 mm).
Key words: compost, physical and chemical properties, soil degradation, land transformations, aggregate stability, nutrients.