Abstract
The potential benefits of different types of soil amendments and mulch ground covers on soil chemical and biological properties, crop development and yield, and disease and pest issues in organic vegetable production, as represented by legume (green snap bean), cucurbit (green zucchini squash), and brassicaceous (turnip) vegetable crops, were evaluated in a two-year field trial in Maine, USA. Soil amendments evaluated (following an initial fertilizer base) included a commercial organic fertilizer alone, composted dairy manure, compost plus fish meal, and compost plus Wollastonite, a natural source of silicon (Si). A paper mulch was also compared with a woven polypropylene fabric mulch for their performance and effects as weed barriers within these systems. Mulch type significantly affected soil properties, with the fabric mulch associated with increases in soil moisture, organic matter, and other soil chemical and biological properties relative to the paper mulch. The fabric mulch also resulted in earlier emergence and earlier harvests for bean and zucchini. Soil amendments affected soil properties and crop growth and yield of bean and zucchini, with compost amendments increasing soil pH, organic matter, and several nutrient concentrations, as well as crop emergence and yield relative to a fertilizer-only treatment. Compost treatment also reduced the infestation and damage caused by mites on beans in 2018. Addition of fish meal increased most nutrient element concentrations and microbial respiration, and Si amendment increased emergence of beans, and reduced powdery mildew on squash and late season browning of beans. These results help define specific management practices to improve organic vegetable production and provide useful information and options for growers.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Fabric mulch increased soil moisture, organic matter and other soil properties versus paper mulch.
Verbatim
e0“the fabric mulch associated with increases in soil moisture, organic matter, and other soil chemical and biological properties relative to the paper mulch”
e1“green snap bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Fabric mulch led to earlier bean emergence and harvest.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The fabric mulch also resulted in earlier emergence and earlier harvests for bean and zucchini.”
Claim · model-written summary
Fabric mulch led to earlier zucchini emergence and harvest.
- Taxon
- zucchini
Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepoe0 - Treatment
- fabric mulche0
- Outcome
- emergence and earlier harvestse0
- Direction
- earliere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The fabric mulch also resulted in earlier emergence and earlier harvests for bean and zucchini.”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost increased soil pH, organic matter and nutrient concentrations relative to fertilizer only.
Verbatim
e0“compost amendments increasing soil pH, organic matter, and several nutrient concentrations, as well as crop emergence and yield relative to a fertilizer-only treatment”
e1“crop growth and yield of bean and zucchini”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost increased bean emergence and yield relative to fertilizer only.
Verbatim
e0“compost amendments increasing soil pH, organic matter, and several nutrient concentrations, as well as crop emergence and yield relative to a fertilizer-only treatment”
e1“crop growth and yield of bean and zucchini”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost increased zucchini emergence and yield relative to fertilizer only.
- Taxon
- zucchiniCucurbita pepo subsp. pepoe1
- Treatment
- compost amendmentse0
- Outcome
- crop emergence and yielde0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Comparator
- fertilizer-only treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“compost amendments increasing soil pH, organic matter, and several nutrient concentrations, as well as crop emergence and yield relative to a fertilizer-only treatment”
e1“crop growth and yield of bean and zucchini”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost reduced mite infestation and damage on beans in 2018.
- Taxon
- beanse0
- Treatment
- Compost treatmente0
- Interactor
- mitese0pest
- Outcome
- infestation and damage caused by mitese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- in 2018e0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Compost treatment also reduced the infestation and damage caused by mites on beans in 2018.”
Claim · model-written summary
Fish meal increased nutrient element concentrations and microbial respiration.
- Taxon
- beane1
- Treatment
- fish meale0
- Outcome
- most nutrient element concentrations and microbial respiratione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Addition of fish meal increased most nutrient element concentrations and microbial respiration”
e1“crop growth and yield of bean and zucchini”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon amendment increased bean emergence.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Si amendment increased emergence of beans”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon amendment reduced squash powdery mildew.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Si amendment increased emergence of beans, and reduced powdery mildew on squash”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon amendment reduced late season bean browning.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Si amendment increased emergence of beans, and reduced powdery mildew on squash and late season browning of beans”
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See all 16 papers →8 of 15 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.