Pedosphere 15(6): 792--796, 2005
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2005 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Effect of compost amendment on heavy metals, nitrogen and phosphorus in a peat-based container medium |
XIA Yi-Ping1 , HE Zhen-Li2,3, P. J. STOFFELLA3, D. V. CALVERT3, ZHANG Ming-Kui2, YANG Xiao-E2 and S. B. WILSON3 |
1 College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China). E-mail: xiayiping@hzcnc.com
2 College of Environmental Science and Natural Resources, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China)
3 Indian River Research & Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, Florida (USA) |
| ABSTRACT |
| A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effect of compost amendment on mobility and leaching potential of heavy metals, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from a peat-based commercial container medium containing 700 g kg-1 peat, 200 g kg-1 perlite and 100 g kg-1 vermiculite at varying amendment rates of compost (0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 L L-1). Increasing compost amendment significantly and linearly increased the pH (P < 0.01), the total concentrations of organic carbon (P < 0.05), copper (Cu) (P < 0.01), cadmium (Cd) (P < 0.01), and lead (Pb) (P < 0.01), and increased the bulk density (P < 0.01) of the medium. The electrical conductivity (EC), and total N and P of the medium increased significantly (P < 0.01) and quadratically with increasing compost amendment. The relationship of the C/N ratio of the medium with the compost amendment rate was decreasing, significant (P < 0.01) and cubic, while that of the total Zn was increasing, significant (P < 0.01) and cubic. Extractable P, NO3-N, and NH4-N increased initially with an increasing compost amendment of up to 0.50 L L-1 and then decreased with further increasing compost rate. Increasing compost rates resulted in a highly significant (P < 0.01) and linear increase in total Cd, Cu, and Pb, and a highly significant (P < 0.01) and cubic increase in total Zn in the medium. Increasing compost rates also significantly (P < 0.01) increased extractable Cu (linearly) and Zn (quadratically), but significantly (P < 0.01) decreased extractable Pb (linearly). There was no significant effect of compost amendment on the extractable Cd concentration in the medium. However, with increasing compost rates from 0.25 to 1.00 L L-1, extractability of P, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn (extractable concentration as a percent of total) was decreased, indicating that compost amendment could lower the leachability of these elements from the medium. |
| Key Words: compost amendment, heavy metals, nitrate, peat-based medium, phosphate |
| Citation: Xia, Y. P., He, Z. L., Stoffella, P. J., Calvert, D. V., Zhang, M. K., YANG Xiao-E and Wilson, S. B. 2005. Effect of compost amendment on heavy metals, nitrogen and phosphorus in a peat-based container medium. Pedosphere. 15(6): 792-796. |
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