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Application of different organic wastes to three soils of degraded areas: Effect of some physical, chemical and biological soil properties

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

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Postprint: policy unknown
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Abstract

Restoration of degraded soils with organic wastes could be a feasible practice to minimise erosion in Mediterranean area. In this work we have applied three different organic wastes to three different soils of degraded areas. Two composted and one uncomposted sewage sludge were used for the restoration of soils. The soils were: one soil of overexploited agricultural area, one burned forest soil, and one shrub-land soil degraded by environmental conditions (annual rainfall ~300 mm) and erosion. The experiment was carried out in field conditions. After the addition of organic amendments some soil samplings were made. Different soil properties were determined: physical (aggregate stability %), chemical (pH, salinity, available nutrients) and biological (microbial biomass carbon, soil respiration rate). Beneficial and detrimental results have been obtained in the earliest stages (around three months after organic application) of this long-term restoration experiment. In the first 90 days after wastes application one of the positive effects in the shrub-land soil has been the increase of around 1.7-fold in soil microbial biomass carbon respecting untreated soils. But, in some treated soils negative effects have been observed too, such the increase in electrical conductivity. This negative effect is reversible and temporally, and may disappear after rainfalls. Therefore, the application of the different organic wastes to degraded soils could be a good restoration management. 322