Influence of Various Composted Organic Amendments and Their Rates of Application on Nitrogen Mineralization and Soil Productivity Using Chinese Cabbage ( Brassica rapa. L. var. Chinensis ) as an Indicator Crop

Charlie Suruban, Md. Abdul Kader and Zakaria M. Solaiman
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Charlie Suruban: Agriculture and Food Technology Discipline, School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, University of the South Pacific, Apia-1343, Samoa
Md. Abdul Kader: Agriculture and Food Technology Discipline, School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, University of the South Pacific, Apia-1343, Samoa
Zakaria M. Solaiman: UWA School of Agriculture and Environment and the UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: There is a diversity of locally available nitrogen (N)-rich organic materials in Samoa. However, none of them was evaluated for their N supplying capacity after composting in Samoan Inceptisols for vegetable cultivation. Thus, N-releasing capacity of five composted organic amendments (OAs) namely macuna, gliricidia, erythrina, lawn grass and giant taro, and their two application rates (10 and 20 t ha −1 ) were assessed through a laboratory incubation and a crop response study using Chinese cabbage as a test crop. Among the OAs, composted mucuna was characterized by a higher total N (2.91%), organic C (63.6%) and NO 3 − N content (341 mg N kg −1 ). A significant difference in N mineralization was observed among the OAs as well as application rates. The highest N mineralization was recorded in composted mucuna followed by gliricidia, erythrina, lawn grass, and giant taro. A crop response study also showed a similar trend. Mucuna treatment had the highest biomass yield and N uptake followed by gliricidia, erythrina, lawn grass, and giant taro. Leguminous composted OAs @ 20 t ha −1 performed substantially better in all the plant growth and yield parameters, and N uptake compared to 10 t ha −1 that was not the case for non-leguminous OAs. Thus, non-leguminous OAs should be applied at 10 t ha −1 . All the composted leguminous OAs showed promising results while mucuna was the best in both the application rates. Therefore, mucuna can be promoted to supply N for crop cultivation in Samoa, other Pacific Islands and tropical countries where N fertilizer is costly and not easily available.

Keywords: Chinese cabbage; Organic amendments; Compost; Nitrogen mineralization; soil productivity; biomass yield (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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