Background: Cattle manure (CM) is the most common organic fertilizer used by farmers. However, its usually slow decomposition leads to the use of chemical fertilizers. Therefore, experiments on nano-and micro-sized particles of CM were conducted to evaluate the possibility of accelerating its decomposition in soil. Methods: The effects of a sole application of CM in different sizes (nano-, micro-, and natural-sized particles) in two ranges (5 and 20 Mg ha -1 ) and the combined application of CM and chemical fertilizers on the plant growth characteristics of soybean (cv. JS 335) were studied at Gorgan University. Nano-and micro-sized particles of CM were produced using a ball mill, and their half-life in soil was measured. Soil properties were measured before planting. Grain yield, 1000 grain weight, number of pods per plant, biological yield, plant height, and nutrient contents in plant shoot material were measured. Results:The results showed that the use of nano-sized particles of CM (nCM) caused a significant increase in yield and yield components. Increasing the amount of crushing resulted in an increased rate of CM mineralization and in proper nitration before the formation of nodes in the roots. A significantly higher yield was obtained with nCM than with chemical fertilizer, and due to the nCM particles' half-life in soil, the plants were allowed to absorb nutrients for a longer time period. Conclusion: The nCM has two major advantages over chemical fertilizers in that it does not release nutrients as quickly as chemical fertilizers and the loss of nutrients from soil is low.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.