Changes in Soil Physical Properties Following Applications of Vermicompost Superimposed with Liquid Organic Fertilizer

Abstract

Soil properties play important roles in transmitting and holding precipitation water; therefore, they determine the amount of plant-available water in the soil profile.  The study aimed to compare the size-distributions of Andept soil pores following four-years applications of vermicompost and liquid organic fertilizer (LOF).  The experimental sites, established in 2016-1999, with five doses of vermicompost (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 Mg.ha-1) set as the main factor, supplemented with 0 and 100 percent concentration of LOF as sub-factor were arranged in a split-plot design with three replicates.  Undisturbed and disturbed soil samples were collected from each experimental unit at the 0-20 cm depth in July 2020 for the laboratory analysis of texture, organic carbon and water-filled distributions of soil pores.  Results showed that the addition of LOF decreased slow-drainage pores significantly when combined with 10 Mg.ha-1 of vermicompost, but the pore changes by LOF were not significant when applied to other doses of vermicompost.  Application of vermicompost and LOF lowered the slow-drainage pores by increasing soil organic carbon and reducing soil particle density.  The findings suggested that vermicompost and LOF might act as the soil ameliorant to reduce the water loss by drainage from the soil profiles.