Food and Yard Waste Compost as a Nutrient Source for Corn Production

• Main Author: Garnett, Angela
• Language: en
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: phosphorus; nitrogen; compost; food and yard waste; corn
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10222/14623

Utilizing food and yard waste (FYW) compost for plant production requires determination of application rates that support crop production, improve soil properties and avoid excessive nutrient build-up. An 88 day incubation experiment showed 12 t ha-1 FYW compost to contribute 3.6 kg M3P ha-1 and 0.3 kg mineral N ha-1, 24 t ha-1 supplied 15.1 kg M3P ha-1 and 0.7 kg N ha-1 and 36 t ha-1 gave 39.5 kg M3P ha-1 and 1.2 kg N ha-1 to Pugwash series coarse, loamy soil. A field study showed FYW compost yielded higher P concentrations in grain and stover but lower grain yields than fertilizer. In the residual year, compost treatment yields didn’t decrease and concentrations and amounts of P and N increased. This FYW compost applied to corn at 24 t ha-1 with an N fertilizer can yield similarly to fertilizers only, removing greater amounts of P in grain and stover.