Compost Adds Organic Matter to the Soil, Improving ......ompost is 50- 60% organic matter. 3 100...
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Compost Adds Organic Maer to the Soil, Improving Moisture Retenon to Combat Drought Organic maer comes from once-living plant or animal ssues that are in various stages of decomposion in the soil. Typical agricultural land has 3—6% soil organic maer. 1 Benefits of soil organic maer Sources: 1: Soil Organic Maer. Agronomy Fact Sheet Series, Cornell University Extension. Fact Sheet 41. 2008 2: The Importance of Soil Organic Maer, FAO 2005. hp://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0100e/ a0100e07.htm#bm07.1 3: Gould, Charles. 2012. hp://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/ compost_increases_the_water_holding_capacity_of_droughty_soils 4: Compost and Mulch Aid Drought Survival. Sally Brown. Biocycle March 2014, EPA hp://www.epa.gov/ reg3wcmd/composng/CompostMulchandDroughtSurvival.pdf 5: Soil Organic Maer. Soil Quality Kit– Guides for Educators. NRCS. hp://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/ FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_053264.pdf Compost Cover cropping Crop rotaon Reduced llage 2 Improves water retenon Enhances aggregate stability, creang pore space for air and water Increases nutrient holding capacity Increases infiltraon and reduces runoff 1 For every 1% of organic maer, 16,500 gal/acre of available water can be held in the first 1 ſt. of soil! 3 Dept. of Agriculture Bullen 462, 1960. Soil Water Holding Capacity Organic maer provides the “glue” that holds soil aggregates together, creang pore spaces and surface area to hold water in the soil. 4 Long-term research using biosolids on dryland wheat in eastern WA, increased soil OM from 1.5 to 3% and water holding capacity by 10%. 4 (Biocycle, Sally Brown, Mar. 2014) What pracces build soil organic maer (OM)? ”[The compost] improved water retenon during the summer and porosity during the winter.” - Ethan Bahe, Seale Urban Farm Company Brad Halm and Ethan Bahe of Seale Urban Farm Company in Redmond, WA. March 2015 With this year’s low rainfall in mind, 53% of farmer parcipants in the 2015 Compost Demonstraon Trials, (23/43 survey respondents) ancipate that compost will help with water retenon. Treatments Compost Untreated Organic Matter, % 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4 6.8 www.snohomish.wsu.edu/compost Local compost increases soil OM, WSU Compost Outreach Project Compost applied for three years at Carleton Farm, shows trend of increased soil OM. Soil OM at Carleton Farm Compost Research Trial Three compost applicaons over four yrs. Line in each box plot represents the mean value. (Whiskers are the 90 th and 10 th percenle). *Values are not significantly different but trend towards increased OM in Compost treatment. Compost is 50-60% organic maer. 3 100 tons of organic material/acre (~200 tons of compost) is needed to add 1% soil OM in top 6” of soil. 5 Farmer Reid Carleton applies compost in 2012. Commercial compost applied each year (2011-2013), 15-25 dry tons/acre. Mean values
Transcript of Compost Adds Organic Matter to the Soil, Improving ......ompost is 50- 60% organic matter. 3 100...
Compost Adds Organic Matter to the
Soil, Improving Moisture Retention to
Combat Drought
Organic matter comes from once-living plant or animal tissues that
are in various stages of decomposition in the soil. Typical agricultural
land has 3—6% soil organic matter. 1
Benefits of soil organic matter
Sources:
1: Soil Organic Matter. Agronomy Fact Sheet Series, Cornell University Extension. Fact Sheet 41. 2008
2: The Importance of Soil Organic Matter, FAO 2005. http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0100e/a0100e07.htm#bm07.1
3: Gould, Charles. 2012. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/compost_increases_the_water_holding_capacity_of_droughty_soils
4: Compost and Mulch Aid Drought Survival. Sally Brown. Biocycle March 2014, EPA http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/composting/CompostMulchandDroughtSurvival.pdf
5: Soil Organic Matter. Soil Quality Kit– Guides for Educators. NRCS. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_053264.pdf
Compost
Cover cropping
Crop rotation
Reduced tillage 2
Improves water retention
Enhances aggregate stability,
creating pore space for air and
water
Increases nutrient holding
capacity
Increases infiltration and
reduces runoff 1
For every 1% of organic matter,
16,500 gal/acre of available water
can be held in the first 1 ft. of soil! 3
Dept. of Agriculture Bulletin 462, 1960.
Soil Water
Holding Capacity
Organic matter
provides the
“glue” that holds
soil aggregates
together, creating
pore spaces and
surface area to
hold water in the
soil. 4
Long-term research using biosolids on dryland wheat in eastern WA, increased soil OM from 1.5 to 3% and water holding capacity by 10%. 4 (Biocycle, Sally Brown, Mar. 2014)
What practices build soil organic matter (OM)?
”[The compost] improved
water retention during the
summer and porosity during
the winter.”
- Ethan Bahe, Seattle Urban
Farm Company Brad Halm and Ethan Bahe of Seattle Urban Farm
Company in Redmond, WA. March 2015
With this year’s low rainfall in mind, 53%
of farmer participants in the 2015
Compost Demonstration Trials, (23/43
survey respondents) anticipate that
compost will help with water retention.
Treatments
Compost Untreated
Org
an
ic M
atte
r, %
5
6
7
8
9
10
7.4
6.8
www.snohomish.wsu.edu/compost
Local compost increases soil OM, WSU Compost Outreach Project
Compost applied for three years at Carleton Farm, shows trend of increased soil OM.
Soil OM at Carleton Farm Compost Research Trial
Three compost applications over four yrs.
Line in each box plot represents the mean value.
(Whiskers are the 90th and 10th percentile).
*Values are notsignificantly different but trend towards increased OM in Compost treatment.
Compost is 50-60% organic matter. 3
100 tons of organic material/acre (~200 tons of compost)
is needed to add 1% soil OM in top 6” of soil. 5
Farmer Reid Carleton applies compost in 2012.
Commercial compost applied each year
(2011-2013), 15-25 dry tons/acre.
Mean values
