The safe use of compost derived from municipal solid waste depends on its composition and conditions of application

Abstract

Municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) is a source of organic C and other nutrients, which, when free from potential contaminants, can be used as a soil amendment. This study was carried out over three years in a vineyard with soil pH close to neutral under an experimental design consisting of two treatments (with and without MSWC). Application of MSWC is currently authorized under national legislation to be used in vineyards, orchards and forests at a maximum rate of 10 t ha −1 year −1 . In this study, for experimental purposes, a double rate (20 t ha −1 year −1 ) was used. The accumulated grape yield increased in the amended plot by 28% and the dry biomass of weeds between rows by 119%. The MSWC significantly increased some relevant soil properties such as organic C, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and extractable P, K and B. The concentration of K increased significantly in several tissues, and the concentration of P decreased.However, the concentration of K, P and other essential nutrients in the leaves remained within their sufficiency ranges. Tissue levels of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Pb and Ni) did not increase with the MSWC application, and the values in the pulp remained below the limits established for foodstuffs. The results from this study indicate that the continuous application of the MSWC does not seem to be sustainable, because of the risk of causing nutritional disorders. Products with similar composition should therefore be used only on more acidic soils and should never exceed the legally established rates.

Leonardites Rich in Humic and Fulvic Acids Had Little Effect on Tissue Elemental Composition and Dry Matter Yield in Pot-Grown Olive Cuttings

“…In the experiment with NPK addition, differences between treatments were not found, and the average values were ~10% higher than those of the treatments without NPK addition. The use of organic amendments can positively influence several soil properties, which may result in the enhancement of plant growth [2,7]. In these experiments, under controlled growing conditions, the positive effect of Nutrimais in DMY was probably due to the supply of nutrients, a thesis supported by the absence of a positive effect of Nutrimais on DMY when the pots were supplemented with the NPK fertilizer.…”

“…In other regions, animals and their associated farmyard manures are practically nonexistent. Although organic materials resulting from agro-industrial activities are sometimes available, which can be composted and used in agriculture [6,7], their availability is always limited given the extent of cultivated areas that need them. This is one of the primary causes of the low levels of organic matter in soils, especially when associated with other inadequate soil management practices, such as excessive tillage [8,9].…”

Intercropping with herbs minimizes cadmium availability through altering physicochemical dynamics and metabolite profiles in wheat rhizosphere

“…The KEGG ID of the DEMs was used for the enrichment pathway analysis to reveal the response mechanisms of metabolic pathways between different exposure groups. The structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis using Amos 21.0 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA) was conducted to identify the interrelationships between the soil metabolites and soil solution properties (Arrobas et al, 2021). All experimental data were analysed by SPSS 16.0 for Windows (IBM, USA).…”

Nanoplastic–plant interaction and implications for soil health

“…The sources of NPs in the soil environment could be classified into primary or secondary (>1000 nm) sources according to whether the particle size is <1000 nm before entering the environment (Wang, Wu, et al, 2021). The primary sources of NPs in the soil environment include anthropogenic activities (Arrobas et al, 2022; Bamdad et al, 2022; Lambert & Wagner, 2016; Yang et al, 2021) and industrial production (direct manufacturing of NPs and raw materials for plastic products) (Koelmans et al, 2015). The primary sources of NPs may be related to human activities in which products are used and formed into NPs, such as NPs generated from laundry processes and dissolved plastic tea bags, nanobeads in cosmetics, resulting the release to the environment during the product life cycle (Bradney et al, 2019; Koelmans et al, 2015).…”