1. Municipal Solid Waste Compost Application Improves the Negative Impact of Saline Soil in Two Forage Species.
- Author
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Ouni, Youssef, Mateos-Naranjo, Enrique, Lakhdar, Abdelbasset, Andrades-Moreno, Luis, Abdelly, Chedly, and Barhoumi, Zouhaeir
- Subjects
SOIL salinity ,FORAGE plants ,SOLID waste ,SEWAGE sludge ,AGRICULTURAL productivity ,PHOTOSYNTHETIC pigments ,CAROTENOIDS - Abstract
Inappropriate utilization of biosolids may adversely impact agrosystem productivity. This article addresses the response ofH. vulgareandP. monspeliensisto different doses (0, 100, and 150 t ha−1) of municipal solid waste (MSW) compost in a greenhouse pot experiment. Plant growth, heavy-metal uptake, gas exchange, and photosynthetic pigment concentrations and photosynthesis parameters were considered. Results showed that compost supply significantly increased shoot and root dry weights of both species, and this was positively correlated with nutrient uptake. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were positively influenced, especially inH. vulgareat rate of 100 t ha−1. Furthermore, MSW compost application increased net photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (Gs), and water-use efficiency (WUE) in both species. Alternatively, MSW compost amendment increased plant heavy-metal contents but levels remained lower than phytotoxic thresholds. This preliminary study suggests that a MSW supply at moderate doses (100 t ha−1) could be highly beneficial for plant productivity on saline soils. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2014
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