Abstract
Fertilizer use in Malawi is limited due to the relatively high fertilizer price, improvement of fertilizer efficiency is therefore necessary to enhance both maize yield and soil fertility. 2-years compost application was conducted to evaluate its effectiveness in improving soil fertility and enhancing maize yields. Compost application was shown to be effective even at the early stage of application in improving soil fertility and consequently enhancing maize yields. Before compost application, soil fertility was quite poor reflected in a low maize yield (0 to 1.5 t/ha), however compost application made 2 to 4 times larger maize yields. Despite the sufficient amount of N (92 kgN/ha), single application of chemical fertilizer adversely affected maize yield coupled with the poor initial growths. Soil moisture content became 4 times larger with compost application with a shift from 5 to 20%. Moreover, CEC was improved from 10.2 meq/100mg to 13.7 meq/100mg by compost application, resulting in an increase of nutrient retention capacity. Soil C % decreased in 2.5 years if no compost was applied, but soil C % increased by compost application. As such compost application can be effective to maintain soil C % for enhancement of soil fertility. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was greatly improved 2 to 5 times larger when chemical fertilizer (46 kgN) was applied mixed with compost while a single chemical fertilizer application (92 kgN) represented lower NUE than mixed application. Keywords: compost, maize yield, soil fertility, CEC, soil C, nitrogen use efficiency
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Compost application increased maize yield two to four times from an initial 0 to 1.5 t/ha.
- Treatment
- compost applicatione0
- Outcome
- maize yieldse0
- Direction
- largere0
- Value
- 2 to 4 timese0
- Qualifier
- 0 to 1.5 t/hae0
- Comparator
- Before compost applicatione0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Before compost application, soil fertility was quite poor reflected in a low maize yield (0 to 1.5 t/ha), however compost application made 2 to 4 times larger maize yields”
Claim · model-written summary
Single chemical fertilizer application adversely affected maize yield.
- Treatment
- single application of chemical fertilizere0
- Outcome
- maize yielde0
- Direction
- adversely affectede0
- Value
- 92 kgN/hae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Despite the sufficient amount of N (92 kgN/ha), single application of chemical fertilizer adversely affected maize yield coupled with the poor initial growths”
Claim · model-written summary
Single chemical fertilizer application was coupled with poor initial maize growth.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“single application of chemical fertilizer adversely affected maize yield coupled with the poor initial growths”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost application raised soil moisture content fourfold, from 5 to 20%.
- Treatment
- compost applicatione0
- Outcome
- Soil moisture contente0
- Direction
- largere0
- Value
- 4 timese0
- Qualifier
- from 5 to 20%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil moisture content became 4 times larger with compost application with a shift from 5 to 20%”
e1“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost application improved CEC from 10.2 to 13.7 meq/100mg.
- Treatment
- compost applicatione0
- Outcome
- CECe0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 13.7 meq/100mge0
- Qualifier
- 10.2 meq/100mge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“CEC was improved from 10.2 meq/100mg to 13.7 meq/100mg by compost application”
e1“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil carbon percentage declined without compost.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil C % decreased in 2.5 years if no compost was applied”
e1“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost application increased soil carbon percentage.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil C % increased by compost application”
e1“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Combining 46 kgN chemical fertilizer with compost improved nitrogen use efficiency two to five times over fertilizer alone.
- Treatment
- chemical fertilizer (46 kgN) was applied mixed with composte0
- Outcome
- Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)e0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 2 to 5 timese0
- Comparator
- single chemical fertilizer applicatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was greatly improved 2 to 5 times larger when chemical fertilizer (46 kgN) was applied mixed with compost while a single chemical fertilizer application (92 kgN) represented lower NUE than mixed application”
e1“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude compost can maintain soil carbon percentage to enhance soil fertility.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“compost application can be effective to maintain soil C % for enhancement of soil fertility”
e1“maize”
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