Phytotoxicity of compost-amended soil is related to carbon mineralization associated with compost decomposition. The objective of this research was to determine if compost carbon mineralization potential, estimated using compost respiration rate measurements, could be combined with carbon mineralization kinetic models to predict phytotoxicity of compost-amended soil. First-order, second-order, and Monod kinetic models that include compost carbon mineralization potential, compost amendment rate, incubation time, and temperature were developed and compared for their ability to predict carbon mineralization kinetics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCompost can provide a rich organic nutrient source and soil conditioner for agricultural and horticultural applications. Ideal compost amendment rates, however, vary based on starting material and compost maturity or their interaction, and there is little consensus on appropriate methods to gauge maturity. In this study, electrical conductivity, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, and carbon mineralization measurements were made on compost-amended soils and compared to phytotoxicity measured as cress (Lepidium sativum) germination.
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