Compost of Different Stability Affects the Molecular Composition and Mineralization of Soil Organic Matter

Bekele Eshetu, Christel Baum, Peter Leinweber

Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Soil Science, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Soil Science, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany..

DOI: 10.4236/ojss.2013.31007                

Abstract

This study investigated the C mineralization and chemical modification of a typical tropical soil amended with regional compost of different stability. Compost samples were produced from coffee pulp and fruit and vegetable waste in a method of small heap composting and the samples were collected in three different phases of composting. Both the fresh waste and compost samples were analyzed for their phytotoxicity. These samples were added to a tropical Nitisol at the rate of 48 t ha^?1 and a control was set up without amendment. The CO₂-C respired was determined during 98 days of incubation and the incubated samples were taken at the start and end of incubation for molecular-chemical analysis by Pyrolysis-Field Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Py-FIMS). The fresh waste yielded a germination index (GI) < 26% indicating phytotoxicity but this disappeared in all the composts (GI > 100%). The CO₂-C respired was best explained by a first order plus linear model. A soil amended with a compost taken at the thermophilic phase attained the lowest overall organic C loss. In general, the Py-FIMS revealed a significant enrichment of stable N-compounds during the incubation in all amended soils compared to the control. Furthermore, among the compost-soil mixtures Py-FIMS indicated significantly higher increases in the proportions of carbohydrates, peptides and phenols/lignin monomers at the expense of fatty acids and sterols in soil amended with composts from the thermophilic phase. Thermal volatilization curves of Py-FIMS indicated enrichments of stable N-compounds and peptides in compost amended soil. This was a result of enhanced decomposition and stabilization of decomposition products by physical protection through association with clay and soil aggregates. In summary, application of compost shortly after reaching the high temperature phase was shown to be more efficient in organic C sequestration in a clay-rich tropical agricultural soil than mature composts.

Keywords

Compost; Soil Organic Matter; Soil Respiration; Soil Carbon Sequestration; Pyrolysis-Field Ionization Mass Spectrometry; Molecular Composition

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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