Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
JAST
Agriculture
http://jast.modares.ac.ir
1
admin
1680-7073
2345-3737
10.22034/jast
en
jalali
1392
2
1
gregorian
2013
5
1
15
3
online
1
fulltext
en
Composted Olive Mill By-products: Compost Characterization and Application on Olive Orchards
Olive mill by-products could be composted and applied to olive orchard soils. These practices solve the problem of these wastes disposal and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Therefore, the aims of this research were: (i) proposing ‘on-farm’ composting process of different olive mill waste mixtures; (ii) investigating the chemical, physical, and microbiological characteristics of produced composts; (iii) evaluating the agronomical performance of the composts. Two on-farm composting trials were carried out in Southern Italy by using “two-phase” and “three-phase” olive mill wastes. The obtained composts were analyzed for their main characteristics and were spread in two different olive orchards (Nocellara and Leccino). At the end of field trial, soil properties, olive tree yield, and oil production were determined. The results highlighted that both composts reached a chemical composition in line with the thresholds established by the Italian fertilizers legislation for “green wastes compost”. When the two compost piles became stable and mature, their microbial properties reached similar values. Also, the results suggested the efficiency of the composting process and good hygienic conditions of the matrices. Soil application of composted olive mill by-products increased olive yields on average by 9% compared to the untreated soils. Both olive orchards showed good results in productive parameters. In particular, oil ha<sup>-1</sup> increased by 166.4 and 179.9 kg in treated olive orchards, compared with untreated soils. However, more experimental data might be needed to confirm the effects of compost application in the long time and on different olive orchard soils.
Microbial cultures,Olive-oil industrial sector,Olive trees yield,Olive waste composting,Soil fertility
627
638
http://jast.modares.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-23-11598-36&slc_lang=en&sid=23
P.
Toscano
P.
Toscano
100319475328460046527
100319475328460046527
No
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Centre for Olive Growing and Olive Product Industry), Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Centre for Olive Growing and Olive Product Industry), Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
T.
Casacchia
T.
Casacchia
100319475328460046528
100319475328460046528
No
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Centre for Olive Growing and Olive Product Industry), Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Centre for Olive Growing and Olive Product Industry), Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
M.
Diacono
M.
Diacono
100319475328460061453
100319475328460061453
Yes
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Unit for Cropping Systems in Dry Environments), Bari, Italy.
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Unit for Cropping Systems in Dry Environments), Bari, Italy.
F.
Montemurro
F.
Montemurro
100319475328460046529
100319475328460046529
No
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Unit for the Study of Cropping Systems), Metaponto (MT), Italy.
Consiglio per la ricerca e la sperimentazione in agricoltura – (Research Unit for the Study of Cropping Systems), Metaponto (MT), Italy.