Effect of fertilizer and food waste compost on soil carbon, nitrogen use efficiency, and yield of Chinese cabbage (Brassica Rapa L.)
2025
Young-Jae Jeong | Govind Dnyandev Vyavahare | Seong-Heon Kim | Sang-Ho Jeon | An-Sung Roh | Jin-Ju Yun | Jae-Hong Shim
Abstract Food waste contributes significantly to environmental challenges, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil and water contamination through conventional disposal methods. Converting food waste into food waste compost (FWC) offers an alternative that reduces GHG emissions and enriches soil carbon stocks, supporting sustainable agriculture. However, the high sodium (Na) levels in FWC can adversely impact soil health and crop growth. Therefore, the objective was to thoroughly investigate the effect of different amounts of FWC on soil chemical properties, soil carbon stock (SOC), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), growth, and yield of Chinese cabbage over three crop seasons. The treatments included: ⅰ) No fertilization (NF), ⅱ) inorganic fertilization (NPK, control), ⅲ) NPK + FWC-1 time (FWC1, optimal amount of food waste compost), ⅳ) NPK + FWC-2 times (FWC2), and ⅴ) NPK + FWC-3 times (FWC3). The results showed that excessive FWC application decreased NUE (27.1%) and negatively affected cabbage yield. The FWC3 treatment during second and third crop seasons (CS) increased soil electrical conductivity (EC), Na content, and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). Initial FWC applications enhanced SOC stocks by 8.2%; however, continuous use declined SOC stocks. The FWC2 of the second CS increased the NUE and yield of Chinese cabbage, while growth improved in the FWC2 of the first CS. This study provides valuable insights into the balanced use of FWC to improve soil properties, crop growth, and soil carbon sequestration and promote sustainable agriculture.
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