Physiological and chemical responses of

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Abdel-Sabour, M.F. and Mohamed, A.R.A.G. (1994),. On the Optimum Use of Municipal Waste Water,. Organic Waste for Ameliorating Sandy Soils,. Final Report ...
Physiological and chemical responses of sunflower to the application of previous organic waste composts to sandy soil M.F. Abd El-Sabour Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy, Cairo, Egypt M.A. Abo El-Seoud Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy, Cairo, Egypt M. Rizk Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy, Cairo, Egypt Describes field experiments to determine the effects of previous organic waste composts, using different types and application rates, on sunflower yield. Oil, carbohydrates and metal content were evaluated. Experiments were conducted in the Nuclear Research Centre Farm, in sandy, infertile soil. Results show a remarkable increase in dry matter and seed yields, due to previous single compost additions. A mixture of water hyacinth and biosolid compost showed an improvement. The results of this research indicate that application of organic waste composts is a feasible and valuable recycling method in sandy desert soils.

Environmental Management and Health 8/4 [1997] 128–132 © MCB University Press [ISSN 0956-6163]

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Introduction In Egypt the reclamation of land and intensive cropping are becoming necessary to overcome food shortages. The quality of poor desert soil, particularly sandy soil, needs great effort to improve its hydro-physical properties, as well as its productivity. The application of organic matter to such soils is desperately needed, however, the value of organic materials as fertilizers and soil conditioners is determined by their ability to increase the yield or quality of crops. Organic materials contain significant amounts of macro-nutrients (i.e. N, P and K). In some cases, the organic matter part of a material may have a higher value than its nutritional content, because of its beneficial effect on the soil’s physical properties (Parr and Colacicco, 1987). Some organic materials are known to mineralize and release available plant nutrients rapidly, as a result of microbial attack. On the other hand, poor soils would benefit from the application of organic materials having a degree of microbial stability in soil. Farmers in developing countries often have occasion to use both types of materials (rapid and slow release organic fertilizers) in their farming operations, depending on whether there is a need to release nutrients rapidly, or to improve the productivity of marginal soils (Parr and Colacicco, 1987). The response of soil to compost application depends on many factors, such as compost type and composition, application level and method, soil properties and climatic conditions. Previous studies investigated the agronomic and environmental effects of different organic compost, when applied to sandy soil, on several crops. This showed beneficial effects on the crops (Abdel-Sabour and Abo El-Seoud, 1996; Abdel-Sabour and Mohamed, 1994; Abdel-Sabour et al., 1995). This work was a continuation of previous studies to evaluate the effect of the application of organic waste composts to sandy soil. In this work we investigate the residual effect of previous compost application on sunflower growth, seed yield and its chemical composition.

Materials and methods Two field experiments were conducted:

Experiment 1 In this experiment the effects of the previous application of three composts, applied to sandy soil, amended with 8 per cent of tafla shale deposits was studied. Composts were administered, namely biosolid (Bs) and municipal solid waste (MSW) at different rates (2, 6 and 8 per cent), and water hyacinth (W) at 1, 5 and 10 per cent (Abdel-Sabour et al., 1995). Regarding the cultivation histories of the treated plots, four successive crops were as follows: corn, sesame, clover and roselle. The field was prepared for cultivation and the experiment was established in complete randomized plots (21m2 each) with three replicates. Sunflower (Helianthus annuuis L) was planted on 20 May 1994, in rows, and plants were spaced 30cm apart within rows. As to the fertilization of sunflower, all plots received constant levels of NPK at rates of 40 N, 35 P2O5 and 40 K2O per Feddan. A sprinkler irrigation system was used. Plant samples were collected at both the vegetative and flowering growth stages. Samples were separated into leaves, stems and flowers (heads). At the end of the growth season, the dry weight of fruit, seed yield and oil percentage of seeds were determined (AOAC, 1985). The chlorophyll content of sunflower leaves was estimated in the ethanolic extract, according to Wintermans and Mots (1965). The total carbohydrate and soluble sugar content were determined in the leaves according to Dubois et al. (1956). Subsamples of stems, leaves and seeds were wet digested then analysed for elemental content. NPK content was determined according to Page (1982). Heavy metals were determined in sunflower seeds after dry ashing digestion according to Chaney (1992), using atomic absorption spectrometry.

Experiment 2 In this experiment the effect of the previous application of a selected mixture of composts to sandy soil (without the addition of tafla deposits) was investigated. The previous

M.F. Abd El-Sabour, M.A. Abo El-Seoud and M. Rizk Physiological and chemical responses of sunflower to the application of previous organic waste composts to sandy soil Environmental Management and Health 8/4 [1997] 128–132

applied compost mixtures were biosolid at the rates of 2, 6 and 8 per cent mixed with one dose of water hyacinth compost (5 per cent). The same agronomic treatment, sampling technique and samples analyses were employed in this experiment, as mentioned in experiment one.

Statistical analysis The analysis of variance of complete randomized design was carried out according to Snedecor (1955).

Results and discussion Dry matter accumulation As shown in Table I, the dry matter yield of leaves, stems and flower at either vegetative or flowering growth stages were significantly increased by a previous single compost application of any compost type or rate. The positive residual effects of both MSW and W treatments were always higher than Bs and control (tafla only amended sandy soil) treatments. It is worth mentioning that the superior residual effect of W treatments was observed on heads’ dry weight by three magnitudes of control treatment. Similar trends were obtained in experiment two; however, the positive residual effect of organic only treated soil was always higher than other treatments in experiment one (organic + tafla mixture). This may suggest

that the compost mixture of Bs + W has valuable feature as a soil conditioner and nutrient supplier. This finding could be confirmed by the reported results in previous relevant work (Abdel-Sabour et al., 1995).

Head yield and yield components The residual effect of previous compost applications significantly increased heads’ dry weight as well as seed yield in both experiments (Table II). Again W treatments showed a higher positive effect than other treatments in experiment one. Previous studies showed that W treatments improved the soil’s hydrophysical properties which in turn should enhance plant growth (Abdel-Sabour and Abo-El-Seoud, 1996; Abdel-Sabour et al., 1995). Comparison between the obtained data in the two experiments showed that sunflower plants grown on plots previously treated with combined organic compost (Bs+W) tend to produce the heaviest dry weight heads and seed yield. Table II shows that previously applied compost mixtures (with tafla or organics only) had no significant effect on the oil percentage of seeds (g/100 g). With regard to total oil content (g/plant) the superior effect of organic compost mixtures (experiment two) and W + tafla treatments (experiment one) was observed. Naturally, such an increase is attributed to an enhancement in seed yield rather than oil percentage. The simple explanation could be the potential nutrients supplied by previously applied

Table I Effects of previous applications of organic waste composts on sunflower dry weight (g/plant) Vegetation Stems

BYa

5.81 10.07 11.27 12.02 12.67 16.50 19.96 11.45 17.34 18.82 1.20

3.57 5.71 6.25 7.26 7.20 9.48 9.94 8.11 8.28 8.62 0.76

2.58 18.31 20.41 22.16 1.80

2.19 9.79 11.11 11.13 1.90

Treatment

Leaves

Experiment 1 Control BS1 BS2 BS3 MsW1 MsW2 MsW3 W1 W2 W3 LSD (5 level) Experiment 2 Control BS1 + W2 BS2 + W2 BS3 + W2 LSD (5 level)

Leaves

Flowering Stems Flowers

9.38 15.78 17.52 19.28 19.87 25.98 29.90 19.56 25.62 27.44 0.75

3.92 6.07 7.77 8.61 9.60 11.60 12.98 10.43 13.01 14.56 0.75

3.40 4.87 5.97 7.26 7.98 10.33 11.02 7.98 9.77 10.73 0.52

21.07 32.40 43.28 46.88 49.93 49.40 55.71 48.54 60.89 60.03 2.97

28.39 43.34 57.02 62.75 67.51 71.33 79.71 66.95 83.67 85.32

4.77 28.10 31.52 33.29 2.30

2.01 14.14 16.02 17.81 1.60

2.41 10.68 11.68 11.70 0.86

13.44 61.86 65.96 76.67 3.67

17.86 86.68 93.66 106.18

BYa

Note: a = Biological yield [ 129 ]

M.F. Abd El-Sabour, M.A. Abo El-Seoud and M. Rizk Physiological and chemical responses of sunflower to the application of previous organic waste composts to sandy soil Environmental Management and Health 8/4 [1997] 128–132

composts which had optimum amounts of micronutrients, as well as the conditioning effects on the soil’s hydro-physical properties (Abdel-Sabour et al., 1995). Previous work by Wassif et al., (1989) showed that Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu mixture (in organic or inorganic form) has increased sunflower seed yield and this beneficial effect was more pronounced under water stress conditions.

Table II Effects of previous applications of organic waste composts on heads and seed dry weight, oil and total oil content Heads’ dry weight (g/plant)

Seed yields (g/plant)

Oil (g/100g)

Total oil content (g/plant)

Experiment 1 Control BS1 BS2 BS3 MsW1 MsW2 MsW3 W1 W2 W3 LSD (5 level)

40.56 74.37 83.69 85.39 92.92 96.91 118.55 102.67 123.36 113.58 14.20

26.08 47.75 56.10 55.51 60.23 63.66 77.18 67.69 80.38 73.82 3.58

53.14 52.08 53.78 53.75 53.54 53.39 54.28 54.12 53.33 54.80 NS

13.86 24.87 30.17 29.84 32.24 33.99 41.89 36.64 42.87 40.46 1.92

Experiment 2 Control BS1 + W2 BS2 + W2 BS3 + W2 LSD (5 level)

26.14 118.51 132.72 141.09 16.50

16.80 78.13 85.88 91.98 3.89

52.90 55.00 53.46 53.72 NS

8.88 42.97 45.91 49.41 2.34

Treatment

Chlorophyll, total hydrolysable carbohydrates and soluble sugar content Table III shows that the residual effects of previous compost treatments enhanced the total chlorophyll, total hydrolysable carbohydrates and soluble sugar in plant leaves. The increase in total chlorophyll may be due to adequate supplies of micronutrients, particularly Fe. In this respect, Jacobson and Dertli (1956) suggested that Fe directly or indirectly is involved in chloroplast formation via protein synthesis. Also Kazsrayan et al. (1975) found that foliar spraying of sunflower plants with Fe induced the biosynthesis of chlorophyll. In general, previous compost treatments enhanced the chlorophyll synthesis which in turn increased plant efficiency to produce sugars and carbohydrates.

NPK content Previous application of compost (either with or without tafla) significantly increased the concentration of elements in sunflower leaves (Table IV) at both tested growth stages. Concentration of N, P and K in leaves of plants grown on compost-treated soil contained relatively higher levels of these elements than the critical levels reported by Melsted et al., (1969). However, leaves of plants grown on untreated soil contained lower levels of these elements. Values of concentration indices (Ci) given in Table IV show that the magnitudes of increase in the concentration of tested elements in leaves varied due to growth stage

Table III Effects of previous applications of organic waste composts on total chlorophyll, total hydrolysable carbohydrate and soluble sugar content (mg/gdwt) of sunflower leaves

Treatment

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Total chlorophyll (mg/gd wt) Vegetation Flowering

Total hydrolysable carbohydrate (mg/gd wt) Vegetation Flowering

Total soluble sugars (mg/gd wt) Vegetation Flowering

Experiment 1 Control BS1 BS2 BS3 MsW1 MsW2 MsW3 W1 W2 W3 LSD (5 level)

5.37 5.80 6.08 6.48 6.64 7.40 7.07 7.47 7.65 7.68 0.33

4.63 5.77 5.97 6.62 5.65 6.99 7.11 6.98 7.12 7.25 0.38

199.9 193.8 202.6 201.9 212.6 211.0 214.0 217.3 220.8 230.4 4.92

180.0 187.7 191.4 191.4 198.5 203.2 200.97 210.1 211.6 226.2 4.23

67.80 72.90 74.87 77.37 70.40 75.97 80.20 81.50 85.20 86.30 1.84

75.80 75.50 75.60 77.80 76.60 80.10 81.97 82.47 84.50 86.3 1.87

Experiment 2 Control BS1 + W BS2 + W BS3 + W LSD (5 level)

4.22 7.33 8.06 8.38 0.68

3.18 6.68 7.16 7.22 0.56

178.8 229.8 236.5 241.2 5.23

164.1 224.9 229.3 231.9 5.78

59.10 81.00 84.30 85.20 2.34

61.80 86.30 85.10 86.10 2.09

M.F. Abd El-Sabour, M.A. Abo El-Seoud and M. Rizk Physiological and chemical responses of sunflower to the application of previous organic waste composts to sandy soil Environmental Management and Health 8/4 [1997] 128–132

experiments. Alternatively, Cd levels in seeds were beyond the detection limit. No phytotoxic symptoms were observed and the tested metal concentrations were around the reported normal levels in plant seeds or grains (Pendias and Pendias, 1984). In general, seeds of plants grown on tafla-amended soil (experiment one) seem to accumulate higher metals than those grown on organic mixture only amended soil (experiment two).

and type of previous application. The highest Ci values with respect to previous treatment could be regarded as follow: Bs + W > W > MSW > Bs.

Heavy metals concentrations As shown in Table V the previous compost application significantly increased Fe, Mn, Zn, Co, Ni and Pb concentration in sunflower seeds in all tested treatments in the two

Table IV Effect of previous compost applications on NPK content of sunflower leaves at different growth stages

Treatment

N-content Vegetation Flowering mg/gd wt Ci* mg/gd wt Ci

P-content Vegetation mg/gd wt Ci

Flowering mg/gd wt Ci

K-content Vegetation mg/gd wt Ci

Experiment 1 Control Bs1 Bs2 Bs3 MsW1 MsW2 MsW3 W1 W2 W3 LSD (5 per cent level)

29.79 31.70 34.73 36.02 35.23 36.40 35.79 38.68 36.78 37.86 1.08

– 1.05 1.16 1.20 1.18 1.22 1.19 1.29 1.23 1.26

24.76 25.35 26.60 28.05 26.80 27.78 29.20 28.50 30.10 32.80 1.03

– 1.02 1.07 1.13 1.08 1.12 1.18 1.15 1.22 1.33

4.12 4.85 4.59 4.84 5.20 5.40 5.88 6.08 6.75 6.56 0.48

– 1.18 1.11 1.18 1.26 1.31 1.43 1.48 1.64 1.59

7.25 7.52 7.35 7.52 8.04 8.50 8.32 8.63 8.82 9.28 0.38

– 1.04 1.01 1.04 1.11 1.17 1.15 1.19 1.22 1.28

23.75 26.99 26.87 29.50 26.79 28.03 30.02 30.43 31.73 32.54 1.02

Experiment 2 Control Bs1 + W Bs2 + W Bs3 + W LSD (5 per cent level)

26.94 38.89 38.53 39.72 2.10

– 1.44 1.43 1.47

22.18 33.40 33.20 34.60 1.54

– 1.51 1.50 1.56

3.81 6.37 6.48 6.45 1.52

– 1.67 1.70 1.69

6.64 10.04 11.17 11.70 0.42

– 1.51 1.68 1.76

20.55 34.74 33.94 34.89 1.63

1.14 1.13 1.24 1.13 1.18 1.26 1.28 1.34 1.37

– 1.69 1.78 1.83

Note: Ci* = element in the untreated land Table V Effect of previous organic waste on sunflower seeds (mg/kg) Treatment

Fe

Mn

Zn

Experiment 1 Control BS1 BS2 BS3 MsW1 MsW2 MsW3 W1 W2 W3 LSD (5 level)

45 47 54 70 48 54 67 50 52 57 2.03

7.08 8.82 8.91 9.78 8.80 9.75 10.03 7.20 7.60 8.70 0.29

71.01 74.14 86.52 93.27 72.31 82.62 98.06 74.00 94.00 98.00 2.71

Experiment 2 Control BS1 + W2 BS2 + W2 BS3 + W2 LSD (5 level)

43.7 51.7 57.2 61.2 3.68

6.40 7.40 8.90 9.90 0.89

71.00 75.00 82.00 91.00 4.33

Pb

Co

Ni

1.5 1.7 2.0 3.6 1.5 2.9 3.6 3.1 3.5 5.1 0.36

2.30 3.20 3.60 3.90 2.54 3.64 3.64 3.04 3.88 4.83 0.23

15.77 15.94 20.19 19.45 17.76 18.56 19.46 15.85 15.97 17.52 0.47

1.6 2.1 3.2 3.6 0.68

2.87 2.91 3.40 3.95 0.27

15.50 16.86 17.84 18.89 0.93 [ 131 ]

M.F. Abd El-Sabour, M.A. Abo El-Seoud and M. Rizk Physiological and chemical responses of sunflower to the application of previous organic waste composts to sandy soil Environmental Management and Health 8/4 [1997] 128–132

This may be attributed to tafla capacity to absorb metals released from the degraded organic compost and, therefore, minimize leaching and losses of these elements from the root zone area, therefore becoming available for plant uptake. From the above mentioned results, it could be deduced that the previous single application of tested organic wastes to sandy soil had exhibited a positive stimulation on plant growth and increased soil productivity, even after four successive seasons of cultivation.

Conclusion Based on the data obtained from this study, the residual effect of organic waste compostamended soil has been found to stimulate the growth of sunflower as expressed as dry matter accumulation and seed yield. Plants grown on a mixture of biosolid and water hyacinth compost containing previously amended soil contain higher concentrations of NPK and total oil content as compared with the untreated ones. The results of this research indicate that land applications of tested organic waste compost is a feasible disposal method and a valuable recycling technique in sandy desert soil.

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