Spent Mushroom Compost as a Soil Amendment for Vegetables
Open Access
- 1 September 1984
- journal article
- Published by American Society for Horticultural Science in Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
- Vol. 109 (5) , 698-702
- https://doi.org/10.21273/jashs.109.5.698
Abstract
Spent mushroom compost (SMC) was used as a soil amendment for field-grown vegetables. Four rates (0, 2, 10, or 20 kg/m2) of SMC were applied to a fine sandy loam in 1981 and 1982. SMC application decreased bulk density and increased the percentage of small pore space, pH, and electrical conductivity. Yields of cucumber and snap bean increased and yield of onion decreased, as the rate of SMC increased in 1981. Yields of cabbage, radish, and tomato were not affected significantly by the addition of SMC. Tomato yield was maximum at 10 kg/m2, then declined as SMC was increased to 20 kg/m2 in 1982. Yield responses of cucumber, fall-planted radish, spinach, and mustard were similar to that of tomato. Salt sensitive crops, such as snap bean, onion, and spring-planted radish, suffered severely reduced plant stands and, consequently, decreased yields. Yield of cabbage, a relatively salt tolerant crop, was not affected by SMC. Concentrations of K in all leaf tissues increased significantly as the level of SMC increased. Mg content in leaf tissue decreased.Keywords
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