Potential and Constraints of Use of Organic Amendments from Agricultural Residues for Improvement of Soil Properties

Remigio Paradelo (), Jose Navarro-Pedreño, Bruno Glaser, Anna Grobelak, Aneta Kowalska and Bal Ram Singh
Additional contact information
Remigio Paradelo: CRETUS, Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Jose Navarro-Pedreño: Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain
Bruno Glaser: Soil Biogeochemistry, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Von–Seckendor–Platz 3, D-06120 Halle, Germany
Anna Grobelak: Faculty of Infrastructure and Environment, Czestochowa University of Technology, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Aneta Kowalska: Faculty of Infrastructure and Environment, Czestochowa University of Technology, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland
Bal Ram Singh: Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1433 Ås, Norway

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Agricultural residues are produced in large quantities and their management is an issue all over the world. Many of these residues consist of plant materials in different degrees of transformation, so returning them back to soil is a management option that closes loops in a circular economy context. The objective of this paper is to summarize current knowledge on the options and effects of reusing agricultural residues as organic soil amendments. The reuse of these residues in soil is a good solution for minimizing the problems associated with their management, while improving soil health and ecosystem functions. While some agricultural residues can be applied directly to soil, others will need previous transformations such as composting to improve their properties. This allows the recovery of plant nutrients and increase in soil organic matter contents, with many positive effects on the soil’s physical, chemical and biological properties, and ultimately, crop production, although potential risks derived from some materials must also be considered. The concept of regenerative agriculture and soil management using organic soil amendments contribute to the significant enhancement of soil biodiversity, the protection of the environment and climate goal achievement.

Keywords: soil health; organic residue management; composting; soil management; soil organic carbon sequestration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/158/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/158/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2023:i:1:p:158-:d:1305952

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().