Soil Recycling of Waste Biomass in the Production of Malus domestica Fruit Tree Seedlings

Natalia Matłok (), Małgorzata Szostek and Maciej Balawejder
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Natalia Matłok: Department of Food and Agriculture Production Engineering, University of Rzeszow, St. Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Małgorzata Szostek: Department of Soil Science, Environmental Chemistry and Hydrology, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Zelwerowicza 8b, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Maciej Balawejder: Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, University of Rzeszow, Ćwiklińskiej 1A, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: The production of fruit tree seedlings generates waste wood biomass, which results from the pruning of budded rootstocks in the first year of the two-year production cycle. This study proposes a new method of managing this biomass by recycling the wood chips (2, 3 and 5 t ha −1 ) back into the soil. The impact of different wood chip doses on selected physicochemical soil properties after the production process (especially soil organic carbon content (SOC), as well as the quantity and quality of the produced Malus domestica fruit tree seedlings, was determined. The recycling of waste biomass contributed to enriching the soil with additional components, mainly organic carbon with the potential for biotransformation into humic substances. The applied doses of wood chips, in amounts of 2, 3, and 5 t ha −1 , resulted in an increase in SOC content compared to the control by 21.5%, 22.5%, and 35.8%, respectively. Additionally, the recycling of waste biomass introduced other compounds important for plant growth and development into the soil, particularly iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. It should be noted that the proposed method of managing waste biomass generated during the apple tree seedling production stage resulted in reduced production costs while maintaining high production indices.

Keywords: nursery; fruit tree seedlings; waste biomass; soil; soil organic carbon (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: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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