Field-Scale Evaluation of the Soil Quality Index as Influenced by Dairy Manure and Inorganic Fertilizers

Ekrem Ozlu, Gafur Gozukara, Mert Acar, Serdar Bilen and Emre Babur
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Ekrem Ozlu: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA
Gafur Gozukara: Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir 26040, Türkiye
Mert Acar: Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Çukurova University, Adana 01330, Türkiye
Serdar Bilen: Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ataturk University, Erzurum 25240, Türkiye
Emre Babur: Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras 46050, Türkiye

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-16

Abstract: Long-term addition of manure increases soil organic carbon (SOC), provides nutrient supply, enhances soil quality and crop yield (CY), but may also increase global warming potential (GWP). In this study, a long-term experiment was conducted to investigate impacts of organic dairy manure and inorganic fertilizer on the spatial distribution of soil quality indicators in field scale. The experiment was initiated in 2008 (seven years), and includes three manure and two inorganic fertilizer treatments along with a control (no manure or no inorganic fertilizer addition). The study was set into a randomized complete block design with six treatments and four replications in a total of 24 plots with an equal size each of 6 × 18 m (108 m 2 ). Soil physical, chemical and biological properties (total 26 properties) were considered as the total data set and principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine long-term organic and inorganic fertilizer-induced changes in soil quality. Ordinary kriging interpolation methods were used to predict the spatial distributions of soil quality index (SQI) and mean soil quality values were compared with fertilization treatments by using Duncan’s test. Results showed that most measured soil quality index parameters showed significant differences ( p < 0.05). The long-term dairy manure applications had positive impacts on soil quality index parameters where overall SQI scores were higher under high manure (HM) compared to medium manure (MM), low manure (LM), medium fertilizer (MF), high fertilizer (HF), control (CK) by 25%, 27%, 47%, 55% and 92%. A similar trend was observed for CY and GWP. This indicates that long-term dairy manure can be an option to increase SQI values and provide higher CY, however, this may lead to greater GWP.

Keywords: digital soil mapping; inorganic fertilizer; long-term; manure; mollisols; soil quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (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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