Effects of Compost Amendment on Soil Chemical and Biological Properties in Greenhouse Soil

Compost is extensively used in the world and plays a fundamental role in maintaining soil fertility and agricultural productivity. The objective of this paper was to investigate the effects of manure compost amendment on soil chemical and biological properties in three greenhouses with organic (ORG), integrated (INT) and conventional (CON) growing patterns. The experiment was initiated in 2002 on a salinized cinnamon soil at Quzhou Agricultural Experimental Station (China). Soil chemical and biological properties were measured at soil depth 0-20 and 20-40 cm after six years of field trials. Compared to CON, the application of manure compost in ORG significantly increased soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus, soil available P & K, soil microbial biomass C and N and five enzymatic activities (FDA, dehydrogenase, protease, arylamidase, beta-glucosidase) in both assessed soil layers. This study showed that compost amendment is an effective measure to improve the soil quality in greenhouse vegetable production.