Soil organic matter is a key resource base for agriculture. However, its content in cultivated soils is low and often decreases. This study aimed at examining the effects of long-term application of chicken manure (CM) and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) on organic matter accumulation, acidity, and hydraulic properties of soil. Two podzol soils with sandy texture in Podlasie Region (Poland) were enriched with recycled CM (10 Mg ha−1) and SMS (20 Mg ha−1), respectively, every 1–2 years for 20 years. The application of CM and SMS increased soil organic matter content at the depths of 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm, especially at 0–20 cm (by 102–201%). The initial soil pH increased in the CM- and SMS-amended soil by 1.7–2.0 units and 1.0–1.2 units, respectively. Soil bulk density at comparable depths increased and decreased following the addition of CM and SMS, respectively. The addition of CM increased field water capacity (at –100 hPa) in the range from 45.8 to 117.8% depending on the depth within the 0–60 cm layer. In the case of the SMS addition, the value of the parameter was in the range of 42.4–48.5% at two depths within 0–40 cm. Depending on the depth, CM reduced the content of transmission pores (>50 µm) in the range from 46.3 to 82.3% and increased the level of residual pores (<0.5 µm) by 91.0–198.6%. SMS increased the content of residual pores at the successive depths by 121.8, 251.0, and 30.3% and decreased or increased the content of transmission and storage pores. Additionally, it significantly reduced the saturated hydraulic conductivity at two depths within 0–40 cm. The fitted unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at two depths within the 0–40 cm layer increased and decreased in the CM- and SMS-amended soils, respectively. The results provide a novel insight into the application of recycled organic materials to sequester soil organic matter and improve crop productivity by increasing soil water retention capacity and decreasing acidity. This is of particular importance in the case of the studied low-productivity sandy acidic soils that have to be used in agriculture due to limited global land resources and rising food demand.
<p>The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term application of exogenous organic matter on soil organic matter and water storage. Addition of organic matter is of importance in sandy soils that are in general poor in organic matter, acidic, conducive to drought and used in agricultural production throughout the world. In this study the sandy podzol (63-74% sand) was amended with chicken manure or waste spent mushroom substrate through more than 20 years. Soil organic matter content, water retention curves, acidity and structural stability were determined at three depths in the top 60 cm in organic amended and control plots. Enrichment of the soil with chicken manure and spent mushroom substrate caused increase in soil organic matter content in the top 0-20 cm from 1.34 to 3.50% and from 0.86 to 4.71%, respectively. Corresponding increases in field water capacity were from 13.6 to 31.8 m<sup>3</sup> m<sup>&#8722;3</sup> and from 17.7 to 27.2 m<sup>3</sup> m<sup>&#8722;3</sup>. Both amendments improved soil structure, reaction and nutrient status. In general, these positive effects were greater in chicken manure than spent mushroom substrate amended soil and less pronounced at depths 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm compared to upper soil. Increase in the field water capacity and water storage capacity made the soils amended with&#160; organic matter more drought resistant. Our findings provide valuable insights the spent mushroom substrate left after growing the mushrooms and chicken manure are environmentally friendly and economical viable soil management practices to increase soil quality and crop productivity.</p><p>&#160;</p><p>&#160;Acknowledgements</p><p>The work was partially funded by the HORIZON 2020, European Commission, Programme: H2020-SFS-4-2014: Soil quality and function, project No. 635750, Interactive Soil Quality Assessment in Europe and China for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Resilience (iSQAPER, 2015&#8211;2020).</p>
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