Abstract

OCHOA ESTRADA, S. et al. Direct Application of Solid Urban Organic Waste to Volcanic Soils. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2009, vol.27, n.1, pp.53-62. ISSN 2395-8030.

Two of Mexico's major problems are the abundant production of solid organic urban waste and soil chemical degradation which decreases fertility. Direct application of solid organic waste to the soil may help to solve both problems. In the present study direct incorporation of organic waste into soils with different textural classes and salinity was studied. The objective was to monitor edaphic properties, biological activity and environmental conditions over a period of 100 days. The organic solid residues were collected from the Texcoco market, chopped and mixed manually with various soils. Experimental treatments were established based on proportion of soil to organic waste, depth of mixture, and frequency of irrigation. During the decomposition process, the soil had a buffering effect on temperature and moisture, mainly in sandy soil. Bulk density and electric conductivity (EC) decreased in saline soils (> 13.3 to < 3.0 dS m^-1; comparison of means was statistically significant, α = 0.005); phosphorous and potassium increased. Temporary microaggregates and stable macroaggregates were formed as a result of bacterial and fungal activity, respectively. The incorporation of organic waste can be an option for recovering sodium-saline soils or soils with low fertility, or to accelerate the decomposition process.

Keywords : temperature and moisture; macro and microaggregates; sodium-saline soils.

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