Application of seaweed and pruning residue as organic fertilizer to increase soil fertility and vine productivity

Abstract

Algae have an indisputable role in coastal ecosystems, but their accumulation and uncontrolled proliferation cause severe damage for the local municipalities.Fertilization with seaweed has been shown to increase soil fertility and crop production reducing ultimately the need for inorganic fertilizers. However, contradictory results of the compost effect have been reported. In the present work, we aimed at testing the suitability of three composted algae materials obtained in a previous study as soil amendments for vines. The composted materials consisted of pruning waste (P) and seaweed (S) mixed (henceforth, P2S1, P1S1 and P1S2, referring the number to the ratio of P to S). Overall, we observed an increase in soil organic matter, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the soil treated in comparison with soils with inorganic fertilization. A moderate N soil enrichment (ca. 20%) was also detected. The leaf analysis reflected generally the greatest concentrations of NPK for the organic treatments, but this was remarkable only during the first year after seaweed application. A noticeable improvement in grape production was detected especially with the P1S1 compost without compromising grape quality although a decrease in sucrose content was noted with the compost with higher productivity (e.g. P2S1 and P1S1). This slight sucrose drop could be attributable to a greater water availability mediated by the compost or to a dilution factor of the sucrose content caused by a greater number of berries in those vines. These findings suggest that although monitoring of the long-term effects is needed, the use of seaweed amendments for agriculture could offer a costeffective method for coastal municipalities to reduce excessive algae debris while also minimizing the impacts of inorganic fertilization.

Sustainable Use of Organic Seaweed Fertilizer Improves the Metagenomic Function of Microbial Communities in the Soil of Rice Plants

“…The increase in the soil macronutrients N, P, and K after seaweed fertilizer treatment has also been reported in other studies [43,44]. Seaweed fertilizer treatment may contribute to the increase of microbial population in the soil [12,13].…”

Studying the Efficacy of Some Organic Compounds as a Source of Potassium Fertilization and their Effect on the Wheat-Peanut Crop System in Sandy Soil

“…This increase could be attributed to the presence of carboxylate groups, which have a direct effect on nutrients released into the soil soil [12,13] and a variety of organic acids are produced during organic residue decomposition [33], which mobilize nutrients from fixed sites and make them easily available to plants [34]. According to De Sosa et al [35], adding composted materials with the greatest ratio of seaweed to the control marginally raised pH values. This is likely because the raw material, which was rich in Na and came from a marine source, was assimilated in a larger amount.…”

Coffee farmers’ knowledge construction about climate change

“…In addition, pruning also reduces the amount of inoculum contained in the soil, which increases the risk of infection in the coffee plants (Gonzales et al, 2023). Pruning activities to remove shoots or side stems are carried out selectively, in order to minimize the growth of other plants, the risk of plant diseases, and the efficiency of photosynthesis, as well as creating organic matter and carbon binders for the soil (de Sosa et al, 2023;Gokavi et al, 2021). Pruning is also used to reduce plant maintenance costs and, at the same time, it becomes a semimechanical harvesting technique (Jose et al, 2017).…”