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Soil Recycling of Waste Biomass in the Production of Malus domestica Fruit Tree Seedlings

Authors :
Natalia Matłok
Małgorzata Szostek
Maciej Balawejder
Source :
Agriculture, Vol 14, Iss 10, p 1806 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

The production of fruit tree seedlings generates waste wood biomass, which results from the pruning of budded rootstocks in the first year of the two-year production cycle. This study proposes a new method of managing this biomass by recycling the wood chips (2, 3 and 5 t ha−1) back into the soil. The impact of different wood chip doses on selected physicochemical soil properties after the production process (especially soil organic carbon content (SOC), as well as the quantity and quality of the produced Malus domestica fruit tree seedlings, was determined. The recycling of waste biomass contributed to enriching the soil with additional components, mainly organic carbon with the potential for biotransformation into humic substances. The applied doses of wood chips, in amounts of 2, 3, and 5 t ha−1, resulted in an increase in SOC content compared to the control by 21.5%, 22.5%, and 35.8%, respectively. Additionally, the recycling of waste biomass introduced other compounds important for plant growth and development into the soil, particularly iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. It should be noted that the proposed method of managing waste biomass generated during the apple tree seedling production stage resulted in reduced production costs while maintaining high production indices.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20770472
Volume :
14
Issue :
10
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Agriculture
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.65cda907441a4440acfe3a11007a8b8f
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14101806