The influence of lake sediments on the fertility of Cambisol

E. Baksiene

Voke Branch of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Žalioji aikštė 2, Trakų Vokė,LT-02232 Vilnius; e- mail: eugenija.baksiene@voke.lzi.lt

Abstract:

Lake sediments as a potential fertilizer were studied at the Voke Branch of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture during 1994–2004. The aim of the research was to establish the influence of lake sediments and their mixtures with other organic matter (manure, sewage) on the crop yield and soil agrochemical and physical properties; to compare the effect of sediments with that of a sediment-manure mixture.Experimental evidence suggests that lake sediments had no effect on soil acidity. Thehigher rate of sediments (100 t ha-1) increased the content of total nitrogen in the soil by 0.002–0.021 and humus by 0.53 percentage units. Application of lake sediments had a positive impact on the quality of physical properties of sandy loam Cambisol. Various rates of sediments increased the soil moisture content and porosity, and declined soil bulk density. The rate of lake sediments 50,100 t ha-1 increased the productivity of crop rotation by 8–30%, manure – by 21–25%. Fertilization with lake sediments at a rate of 100 t ha-1 and pure manure produced 25–30% of the yield of energy units per year.

Key words:

Effects of lake sediments on changes in sandy loam cambisol properties and on crop productivity

E. Bakšiene

Voke Branch of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Žalioji aikšte 2, Traku Voke, LT-02232 Vilnius; e-mail: eugenija.baksiene@voke.lzi.lt

Abstract:

The feasibility of using lake sediments as fertilisers has been studied at the Voke Branch of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture since 1994. The experiments were carried out on a sandy loam cambisol on two backgrounds (without mineral fertilisers and with minimal rates of mineral fertilisers) in the crop rotation (maize, barley with under-crop, perennial grasses of the 1^st and 2^nd years of use, winter rye) with the application of calcareous (25 t ha^-1), organic (10, 40 t ha^-1) and siliceous (25, 100 t ha^-1) lake sediments and their mixtures with manure and limestone. Organic fertilisers were applied only to the first crop (maize) in the rotation.
Experimental evidence suggests that calcareous sediment and limestone declined soil acidity, whereas organic and siliceous sediments had no effect on soil acidity. Only the higher rate of organic (40 t ha^-1) and siliceous (100 t ha^-1) sediments increased the content of total nitrogen in soil by 0.002–0.021 and that of humus by 0.53 percentage units. Fertilisation with mineral fertilisers compensated for the amount of mobile phosphorus and potassium necessary for crop growth.
The application of lake sediments had a positive impact on the quality of sandy loam cambisol physical properties. Organic and siliceous sediments increased the soil moisture content and porosity and declined the soil bulk density to a higher degree than calcareous sediment. Calcareous sediment improved the afore-mentioned soil physical characteristics to a greater extent compared with limestone. All rates of organic sediment gave a crop yield increase of 4–20%, 10 t ha^-1 of sediment with 25 t ha^-1of manure gave a yield increase of 22–25%, and 50 and 100 t ha^-1 rates of siliceous sediment a yield increase of 8–30%.

Key words:

manure, properties, sediments, soil, yield