IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/cfcs97/256987.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Effects Of A Sewage Sludge Compost On The Chemical And Physical Properties Of Two Soils Of The Tropics

Author

Listed:
  • Martinez, G. A.
  • Snyder, V. A.
  • Guzman, J. L.
  • Vazquez, M. A.

Abstract

The influence of a sewage sludge compost on the chemical and physical properties of an Ultisol and a Mollisol of Puerto Rico were evaluated. Treatments evaluated were: Control (0 compost), 15, 30, 45 and 180 tons/acre of compost. Cassava plants (Manihot esculenta - PI 12902) were planted to ascertain the effects of the compost on crop performance and trace element uptake. The compost behaved as an acid neutralizing agent, raising the pH of the Ultisol from 4.2 in the control to 7.5 in the uppermost treatments (> 30 tons/acre). Such a significant influence on pH was attributed to the high calcium content of this compost, a reflection of the coagulating agent (Ca(OH)2) employed in the treatment plant. Significant increases were also observed for soil electrical conductivity, phosphorus (Olsen), and levels of EDTA- and DTPA-extractable Fe, Zn, Cu, and Cd. Trace element content remained well below EPA standards (EPA 503 rule). Cassava yield estimates based on 4 month old plants suggest that although beneficial effects may be expected in both soils at moderate rates, excessive loading may be deleterious to crop growth presumably due to overliming or salinity problems.

Suggested Citation

  • Martinez, G. A. & Snyder, V. A. & Guzman, J. L. & Vazquez, M. A., 1997. "Effects Of A Sewage Sludge Compost On The Chemical And Physical Properties Of Two Soils Of The Tropics," 33rd Annual Meeting, July 6-12, 1997, Isabela, Puerto Rico 256987, Caribbean Food Crops Society.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:cfcs97:256987
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.256987
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/256987/files/33-39.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.256987?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:cfcs97:256987. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://cfcs.eea.uprm.edu/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.