Investigating the Impact of Chicken Feather, Vermicompost and Potassium Humate on the Physical Properties of Soil

آب و خاک

Article 4, Volume 33, Issue 3 - Serial Number 65, July 2019, Pages 417-430   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jsw.v0i0.72579

Authors

mohammadreza dalalian^{* 1}; fatemeh zabihi²; anvarossadat paknejad²; mina khoshkhan²

¹islamic aza university tabriz branch

²Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University

Abstract

Introduction: Destruction of soil structure and reduction of soil organic matter are major problems of cultivated soils which result from improper tillage operations, excessive consumption of chemical fertilizers and low consumption of organic and green fertilizers. One method for maintaining sustainable agriculture is to add organic and inorganic amenders. By producing resistant aggregates, organic matters improve soil structure and enhance soil permeability, FC moisture and water availability capacity. Furthermore, through enhancing organisms’ activities, especially earthworms, organic matters improve soil hydraulic conductivity and reduce bulk density. Organic matters may be added to soil through different way, however, the effect of each one on the soil’s physical properties is different. Chicken feather (CF) is readily available through henhouses and slaughterhouses, however, significant amounts of CF are destroyed by burning and burying them. Potassium Humate (PH) is a potassium salt from humic acid. Humic acid is extracted from various natural sources such as humus, peat, lignite and coal. Vermicompost (VC) is a compost which is produced by a non-thermal process. The impact of CF on different soil properties has not been studied yet. Accordingly, we investigated the impact of adding differing weight percentages of three types of amenders (PH, CF and VC) on the physical properties of soil under wheat cultivation at different moisture levels.
Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted in factorial form based on randomized complete block design with 27 treatments in three replications. The first factor included the above-mentioned amenders; the second factor included three weight levels of these amenders (0%, 2.5% and 5%); the third factor included three moisture levels (0.5FC, 0.7FC and 0.9FC). The amenders were uniformly mixed with the soil up to the depth of 10 cm; then, wheat seeds were planted and moisture treatments were carried out during the growth period (from late April 2016 to September 2016). The soil moisture of the plots was controlled during the experiment period using the gravimetric method. For investigating the changes in the soil’s physical properties, samples (disturbed and undisturbed) were taken from the plots before and after the experiment. The following physical parameters were measured: bulk density (BD), soil moisture in field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP), wet aggregate stability (WAS), saturated hydraulic conductivity (KS), penetration resistance (PR), retention curve slope at inflection point (Si), mean weight diameter of aggregates (MWD) and mass-size fractal dimension of aggregates (Dm). Statistical analysis was done by SPSS software and means were compared via Duncan test. Tables and graphs were generated by Excel software.
Results and Discussion: Variance analysis and means comparison indicated that using amenders reduced bulk density for 89%. Reduced bulk density was caused by high keratin (91%) in CF, high porosity and the production of coarse pores in soil. On the other hand, VC with many pores led to increased aggregation and reduced bulk density.
Results revealed that consuming CF increased soil moisture to field capacity (FC) (87%). CF had more significant impacts on increasing FC at high moisture levels. Thanks to its keratin structure, feather operates like a sponge which enhances soil porosity; hence, it absorbs more moisture and improves FC. Furthermore, results indicated that increasing the amounts of amenders led to increased soil moisture in PWP (91%). By increasing the amount of amenders in soil, aggregation and soil porosity increased which led to enhanced PWP.
Large amounts of CF, PH and soil moisture (0.9FC) resulted in 3.7 times enhancement of Ks. CF led to the production of large soil pores and reduced soil density which resulted in improved soil structure and increased Ks. Thanks to its adhesion properties, PH increased Ks.
Increasing the amount of amenders and the level of soil moisture in all three types of organic matters (especially CF) caused the 2.5 times enhancement of WAS.
The results revealed that increasing soil moisture and amenders led to reduced Si (101%). Given all three types of amenders, PH had the highest impact on the reduction of Si. Moreover, soil penetration resistance (PR) was reduced as a function of increasing the soil moisture level.
Contrary to the expectation, MWD was reduced as a result of increasing amenders. Furthermore, it was found that, given little soil moisture, increasing the amount of amenders resulted in increased Dm; however, given high soil moisture, increasing the amount of amenders led to decreased Dm. Thus, it should be noted that adding amenders improved the stability of aggregates over long time periods and at high soil moisture levels.
Conclusion: One major strategy for improving soil physical and chemical properties is using modifiers, especially organic matters. In this study, we investigated the impact of chicken feather on physical properties of soil and compared its effect with those of potassium humate and vermicompost under different levels of soil moisture and wheat cultivation.
The results indicated that consuming amenders resulted in reduced Bd but increased FC, PWP, Ks and WAS. In other words, it improved physical properties of soil. Moreover, Si decreased as a result of increasing soil moisture and organic matters. Among the three types of amenders, potassium humate had the highest impact on reducing Si. PR was reduced as a function of increasing soil moisture. However, increasing organic matter led to decreased MWD. Furthermore, it was unexpectedly found that, given low soil moisture, Dm increased as a result of increasing the organic matters weight. Nevertheless, in high levels of soil moisture, Dm ​​decreased as a function of increasing organic matter. Thanks to positive impacts of organic matters (especially CF which is cheaper and more accessible than other amenders) on soil’s physical properties, they are highly recommended for soil improvement. Regarding future studies, investigation of the effect of these amenders on soil chemical properties under different soil textures is suggested.

Keywords

Amenders; Chicken Feather; Physical attributes; potassium humate; Vermi Compost; wheat

References

1- Aggelides S.M., and Londra P.A. 2000. Effects of compost produced from town wasted and sewage sludge on the physical properties of a loamy and clay soil. Bioresource Technology 71: 253-259.

2- Ajwa H.A., and Trout T.J. 2006. Polyacrylamid and water quality effects on infiltration in sandy loam soils. Soil Science Society. American Journal 70:643-650.

3- Allison F.E. 1973. Soil organic matter and its role in crop production. Elsevir. Newyork.

4- Arriaga F.J., and Lowery B. 2003. Soil physical properties and crop productivity of an eroded soil amended with cattle manure. Soil Science. Copyright @ by Lippincott Williams. Inc.0038-075X/03/16812:888-898.

5- ASAE standard S 313.2.1995. Soil cone penetrometer Agricultural Engineering Year Book. P 683.

6- Atiyeh R.M., Lee S., Edwards C.A., Aroncon N.Q., and Metzger J.D. 2002. The influence of humic acids derived from earth worm processed organic wastes on plant growth. Bioresour. Technol. 84: 7-14.

7- Azarmi R., Torabi M., and Didar R. 2008. Influence of vermicompost on soil chemical and physical properties in tomato field. African Journal of Biothecnology 7: 2397-2401.

8- Bagarllo V., and Sgroi A. 2007. Using the simplified falling head technique to detect temporal changes in field- saturated hydrolic conductivity at the surface of a sandy loam soil. Soil Tillage Research 44: 283-294.

9- Bauer A., and Bluck A.L. 1992. Organic carbon effects on available water capacity of three soil textural groups. Soil Science. American Journal 56: 248-254

10- Bird N.R.A., Perrier E., and Rieu M. 2000. The water retention function for a model of soil structure with pore and solid fractal distribution. Europ J Siol Sci. 51: 55-63.

11- Bouyoucos G.J. 1993. Effected of organic matter on waterholding capacity and the wilting point of mineral soils. Soil Science 47: 377-383.

12- Chaney K., and Swift R.S. 1986. Studies on aggregate stability: II. The effect on Humic substances on the stability of re-formed soil aggregates. Soil Science Journal 37: 337-343.

13- Dexter A.R. 2004. Soil physical quality. Part III. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and general conclusions about S-theory, Geoderma, 120:227-239.

14- Emami H. 2009. Determination of some hydraulic and mechanical properties using Soil Physical Quality Index (Si), Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Soil Science, Agricultural Faculty, Tehran University, Iran. (In Persian)

15- Emerson W.W. 1995. Water retention, organic carbon and soil texture. Australian Journal of soil Research 17: 45-56.

16- Grandy A.S., Porter G., and Erich M.S. 2002. Organic amendment and rotation crop effects on three covery of soil organic matter and aggregation in potato cropping systems. Soil Science Society of American Journal 66: 1311-1314.

17- Hajabbasi M.A., and Hemmet A. 2000. Tillage impact on aggregate stability and crop productivity in a clay loam soil in central Iran. Soil and Tillage Research 56: 205-212.

18- Imbufe A.U., Patti A.F., Surapaneni A., and. Jackson W.R. 2004. Effects of brown coal derived materials on pH and electrical conductivity of an acidic vineyard soil. http:// www. Regional. Org. au.

19- Imbufe A.U., Patti A.F., Burrow D., Jackson W.R., and Milner A.D. 2005. Effects of potassium Humate on aggregate stability of two soils from Victoria. Australian Journal. Geoderma 125: 321-330.

20- Kay B.D., and Van Den Baygaurt A.J. 2002. Conservation tillage and depth stratification of porosity and soil organic matter. Soil Tillage Research 66: 107-118.

21- Kemper W. D., and Chepil W.S. 1965. Size distribution of aggregates. Pp: 499-510. In Black CA (ed.) Methods of Soil Analysis. Part1, Physical and Mineralogical Properties. 1 st edition. ASA, Madison. WI.

22- Kemper W.D., and Rosenau R.C. 1986. Size distribution of aggregates. In: Klute, A. Ed, Method of soil Analysis. Part 1, (2 ed.). Agron. Monogr. Vol 9. ASA-SSSA. Madison. WI.PP: 425-442.

23- Krishnamoorthy R.V., and Vajranabhaiah S.N. 1986. Biological activity of earthworm casts: an assessment of plant growth promotor leves in the casts. Proceeding of the India Acrlemy of Sciences (Animal Science) 95: 341-351.

24- Li Y.Y., and Shao M.A. 2006. Change of soil physical properties under long-term natural vegetation restoration in the loess plateau of china. Arid Environments 64: 77-96.

25- Mamedov A.I., Beckmann S., Huang C., and Levy G.J. 2007. Aggregate stability as affected by polyacrylamid molecular weight, soil textureand water quality. SSSA J. 71(6): 1909-1918.

26- Mirzaee Talarposhti R., Kambodia J., Sabahi H., and Mahdavi Damgani A. 2009. Effect of organic fertilizers on physicochemical properties of soil and production of tomato dry matter. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Research 7(1): 257-267. (In Persian with English abstract)

27- Nyamangara J., Gotosa J., and Mpofu S.E. 2001. Cattle manure effects on structural stability and water retention capacity of a granitic sandy soil in Zimbabwe. Soil Tillage Research 62: 157-162.

28- Neyshabouri M.R., Mirzajani M., and Oustan Sh. 2013. The effect of polyacrylamide and organic matter on three structural stability indexes in fine and medium soil texture with different wet and dry cycles, Journal of Water and Soil Science 22(4): 161-172. (In Persian with English abstract)

29- Ohu J.O., Ekwue E.I., and Folorunso D.A. 1994. The effect of addition of organic matter on the compaction of a vertisol from northern Nigeria. Soil Technolgy 7: 155-162.

30- Reynolds W.D., Elrick D.E. 1990. Ponded infiltration from a single ring. I. Analysis of steady flow. Soil Science Society American Journal 54: 1233-1241.

31- Safadoost A., Mosaddeghi M.R., Mahboobi A.A., Nouroozi A., and Asadian G. 2007. Effect of short-term tillage and manure on structural properties of soil. J.sci.and Tech. Agriculture and Natural Resource41: 91-100 (In Persian).

32- Sarbazrashid S., Dalalian M.R., and Darbandi S. 2014. Effect of potassium humate and feather with leaching on physical and chemical specifications of saline-sodic soils, M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Soil Science, Agriculture College of Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran. (In Persian)

33- Sadegi S., Eslahi N., and Dadashian F. 2015. Recycling chicken feather fibers for the production of absorbent porous keratin foam. The 10th National Conference on Textile Industry of Iran, Isfahan, Faculty of Textile Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology (In Persian).

34- Schoenau J.J. 2006. Benefits of long-term application of manure. Advance in Pork Production 17: 153-158.

35- Sebahattin A., and Necdet C. 2005. Effects of different levels and application times of humic asid on root and leaf yield and yield components of forage Turnip (Brassica rapa L.) Agronomy Journal 4: 130-133.

36- Shirani H., Hajabbasi M.A., Afyuni M., and Hemmat A. 2002. Effect of farmyard and tillage systems on soil physical properties and corn yield in central Iran. Soil Tillage Research. 68:101-108.

37- Sloan D.R., Kidder G., and Jacobs R.D. 2003. Poultry manure as a fertilizer. University of Floria Journal. Htt://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

38- Tajik F., Rahimi H., and Pazira E. 2003. Effect of electrical conductivity and sodium adsorption ratio of water on aggregate stability in soils with different organic matter content. Journal Agriculture Science Technology 5: 67-75.

39- Tejada M., and Gonzalez J.L. 2006. Crushed cotton gincompost on soil biological properties and rice yield. Europ. Journal Agronomy 25: 22-29.

40- Tejada M., and Gonzalez J.L. 2007. Influence of organic amendments on soil structure and soil loss under simulated rain. Soil and Tillage Research 93: 197-205

41- Vance W.H., Tisdell J.M., and Mckenzie B.M. 1998. Residual effects of surface application of organic matter and calcium salts on the sub-soil of a red-brown earth. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 38: 595-600.

42- Van Genuchten M.Th. 1980. A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 44: 892-898.

43- Walker D.J., and Bernal M.P. 2008. The effects of olive mill waste compost and poultry manure on the availability and plant uptake of nutrients in a highly saline soil. Biores. Thechnol. 99: 396-403.