Organic By-Product Effects on Soil Chemical Properties And Microbial Communities

Soil management practices that contribute to increased soil productivity and longterm sustainable agricultural production have been neglected over the last four decades. The need to increase soil productivity led to the evaluation of a system of disposing of large quantities of organic by-products and poultry litter on agricultural land. Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of applying noncomposted municipal solid waste (MSW), amended with either poultry litter (PL) or NH₄NO₃ to adjust C:N ratios in the soil surface in either the spring or fall. Changes in soil chemical properties, bacteria population shifts, changes in species richness and evenness of indigenous soil bacteria, and response by cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were evaluated. Soil P, K, Ca, and Mg were increased in the surface 0–15 cm by a factor of three or four times by application of organic by-products. After two annual applications, soil Cu increased slightly, Zn doubled, Co and Cr decreased, while Pb increased by a factor of two. Soil organic matter content increased on average by 89 percent for treatments containing newsprint, yard trimmings, and cotton gin trash. Newsprint plus NH₄NO₃ resulted in a shift to more Gram positive bacteria, while newsprint plus poultry litter resulted in a shift to more Gram negative bacteria. Both N sources resulted in a reduction in Bacillus sp. Shifts in the bacterial populations and changes in species richness (number of species detected) and evenness (relative abundance of each species) were induced by organic by-product additions. These shifts appear to be the result of increased substrate for C mineralization rather than any properties of biological control. Shifts in the microbial community structure towards Gram negative organisms may benefit plant growth and may be useful as an indicator of soil quality.