Effects of Onion Residue, Bovine Manure Compost and Compost Tea on Soils and on the Agroecological Production of Onions

Luciano Orden, Nicolás Ferreiro, Patricia Satti, Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia, Leticia Chico-Santamarta and Roberto A. Rodríguez
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Luciano Orden: Estación Experimental Agropecuaria, INTA Ascasubi, Ruta 3 km 794, Hilario Ascasubi 8142, Argentina
Nicolás Ferreiro: Grupo de Suelos, INIBIOMA (UNCOMA-CONICET), Quintral 1250, Bariloche 8400, Argentina
Patricia Satti: Grupo de Suelos, INIBIOMA (UNCOMA-CONICET), Quintral 1250, Bariloche 8400, Argentina
Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia: Departamento de Ingeniería Agrícola y Forestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenierías Agrarias, Universidad de Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 50, 34004 Palencia, Spain
Leticia Chico-Santamarta: International Department, Harper Adams University, Newport TF10 8NB, UK
Roberto A. Rodríguez: Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Andrés 800, Bahía Blanca 8000, Argentina

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: Organic solid wastes are rarely considered when planning for rural production in Argentina. Onion production in the low valley of Río Colorado (Buenos Aires) generates between 12,000 and 20,000 Mg year −1 of vegetal wastes (i.e., leaves, stems, skins, roots) from harvesting, cleaning and classification of bulbs, causing many problems with their management. The aim of this work is to study the effect of different doses of onion residue-bovine manure compost and onion residue-bovine manure compost tea on the soil physicochemical properties, microbial activity and agroecological onion production in sandy soil. Results showed that the highest dose of compost caused the highest effects on soil pH, electrical conductivity and nutrient content. Soil enzymatic activities were already high in the soil before the compost was applied, which may have contributed to the small effect caused by any dose on soil activity. A significant positive effect on bulb weight and organic onion yield were found as a result of the amendment and growing season. In conclusion, agroecological production of onion with the addition of a 300 kg N ha −1 compost and compost tea guarantee yields comparable to those of conventional fertilization, as occurred during the two growing seasons of this study.

Keywords: organic waste; compost; soil; onion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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