There are different types of compost used as soil conditioners and fertilizers. Plants can have different responses to different forms of compost. This field study was performed to examine the effects of different types of compost on growth factors of three dry rangeland species (Atriplex, Atriplex lentiformis; Saltwort, Seidlitzia rosmarinus; Haloxylon, Haloxylon persicum) and soil properties. The experiment was conducted in the Fars Province of Iran during the year 2010-2011. Compost applications consisted of compost tea, solid compost (SC), solid and liquid mixture (MX) and no compost as the control. The study was a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. The results showed that all the tested compost applications enhanced the growth traits of all three species. It was also demonstrated that the use of compost significantly increased the organic matter (1% probability level [PL]), nitrogen concentration (5% PL), phosphorous (5% PL) and potassium (5% PL) concentrations of the soil. The soil’s pH level was unchanged (range, 7.3 to 7.6), and the sodium concentration was also significantly decreased (1% PL) by the use of compost. The higher responses were observed in canopy volume and soil sodium and the lower were observed in stem diameter and soil pH level. Among the three plants in the study, Atriplex showed the best response to the application of compost. Based on the results of this study, it can be recommended that the best compost application to increase growth and improve soil condition is the mixed compost (MX) for Atriplex and the SC for Saltwort and Haloxylon.
Acevedo IC, Pire R. 2004. Effects of vermicompost as substrate amendment on the growth of papaya (Carica papaya L.). Interciencia 29: 274-279.
Anosheh HP, Emam Y, Ramin FJ. 2010. Comparative effect of biofertilizers with chemical fertilizers on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth, yield and oil percentage in different drought stress levels. Agroecology 2: 492-501.
Ansari V. 2000. Auto-ecology Atriplex in Isfahan Province. MSc Thesis. Isfahan Industrial University, Isfahan.
Araújo ASF, Monteiro RTR, Carvalho EMS. 2007. Effect of composted textile sludge on growth, nodulation and nitrogen fixation of soybean and cowpea. Bioresour Technol 98: 1028-1032.
Bonham CD. 1989. Measurements for Terrestrial Vegetation. John Wiley and Sons Publisher, New York.
Cambardella CA, Elliott ET. 1992. Particulate soil organic-matter changes across a grassland cultivation sequence. Soil Sci Soc Am J 56: 777-783
Casado-Vela J, Sellés S, Navarro J, Bustamante MA, Mataix J, Guerrero C, Gomez I. 2006. Evaluation of composted sewage sludge as nutritional source for horticultural soils. Waste Manag 26: 946-952.
Cavender ND, Atiyeh RM, Knee M. 2003. Vermicompost stimulates mycorrhizal colonization of roots of Sorghum bicolor at the expense of plant growth. Pedobiologica 47: 85-89.
Clark JS. 1965. The extraction of exchangeable cations from soils. Can J Soil Sci 45: 311-322.
de Freitas JR, Banerjee MR, Germida JJ. 1997. Phosphate-solubilizing rhizobacteria enhance the growth and yield but not the phosphorous uptake of canola (Brassica napus L.). Biol Fertil Soil 24: 358-364.
Emami MA, Nikkhah A, Kordiyazi MA. 1999. Determination of apparent digestion coefficients of nutrients and energy of two Atriplex species using live animals. The 3rd Feeding of Livestock and Poultry Conference, Karaj.
Hadi MR. 2009. Biotechnological potentials of Seidlitzia rosmarinus: a mini review. Afr J Biotechnol 8: 2429-2431.
Hock SM, Knezevic SZ, Martin A, Lindquist JL. 2006. Soybean row spacing and weed emergence time influence weed competitiveness and competitive indices. Weed Sci 54: 38-46.
Hua L, Wang Y, Wu W, McBride MB, Chen Y. 2008. Biomass and Cu and Zn uptake of two turfgrass species grown in sludge compost-soil mixtures. Water Air Soil Pollut 188: 225-234.
Huang PX. 2000. No-irrigation Vegetation and Its Restoration in Arid Area. Science Press, Beijing.
Inckel M, de Smet P, Tersmette T, Veldkamp T. 2005. The Preparation and Use of Compost. Agrodoks Publications, Wageningen.
Irvine G, Lamont ER, Antizar-Ladislao B. 2010. Energy from waste: reuse of compost heat as a source of renewable energy. Int J Chem Eng 2010: 627930.
Jat RS, Ahlawat IPS. 2004. Effect of vermicompost, biofertilizer and phosphorous on growth, yield and nutrient uptake by gram (Cicer arietinum) and their residual effect on fodder maize (Zea mays L.). Indian J Agric Sci 74: 359-361.
Kumawat PD, Jat NL, Yadav SS. 2006. Effect of organic manure and nitrogen fertilization on growth, yield and economics of barley (Hordeum vulgare). Indian J Agric Sci 76: 226-229.
Mantovia P, Baldoni G, Toderi G. 2005. Reuse of liquid, dewatered, and composted sewage sludge on agricultural land: effects of long-term application on soil and crop. Water Res 39: 289-296.
Naseri K. 1999. Evaluation of some ecological effect of Atriplex canesence in cultural conditions. MSc Thesis. University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Nouri AS, Kalantari KHM, Sharifi M, Tahernezahd A, Mirtaj SM. 2009. Study on copper and zinc content in soil and root of Mycorrhizal plants in some areas in Kerman province. Iranian J Biol 22: 237-248.
Pattnaik S, Reddy MV. 2010. Nutrient status of vermicompost of urban green waste processed by three earth worm species: Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugeniae, and Perionyx excavatus. Appl Environ Soil Sci 2010: 967526.
Pearcy RW, Berry JA, Fork DC. 1977. Effects of growth temperature on the thermal stability of the photosynthetic apparatus of Atriplex lentiformis (Torr.) Wats. Plant Physiol 59: 873-878.
Pessarakli M. 2001. Handbook of Plant and Crop Physiology. 2nd ed. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York.
Planquart P, Bonin G, Prone A, Massiani C. 1999. Distribution, movement and plant availability of trace metals in soils amended with sewage sludge composts: application to low metal loadings. Sci Total Environ 241: 161-179.
Rad MH, Korori SAA, Matinizadeh M. 2006. Comparison between natural and cultivated forests of Haloxylon sp. with respect to some ecological factors. Iranian J For Poplar Res 14: 29-38.
Rahbar A. 1987. Duad Effect of Some Soil Physical Traits, Density and Rain on Growth of Haloxylon sp. Forest and Pasture Research Institute Press, Tehran.
Rahbar A, Baghestani N, Danaei R. 2004. Examine of Several Salt Resistance Species in Marginal Lands of Kavir Chah Afzal Ardakan. 3rd. ed. Research Institute of Forest and Rangeland, Tehran.
Ranjbar FA. 1991. Study of nutritional value of Atriplex canesence and A. Lentiformis in different phonological stages. MSc Thesis. University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Renoux AY, Rocheleau S, Sarrazin M, Sunahara GI, Blais JF. 2007. Assessment of a sewage sludge treatment on cadmium, copper and zinc bioavailability in barley, ryegrass and earthworms. Environ Pollut 145: 41-50.
Rezvantalab N, Pirdashti H, Bahmanyar MA, Abasian A. 2008. Study on yield and yield components of corn (Zea mays L.) response to different types and rates of organic and chemical fertilizers. J Agric Nat Res 15: 1-10.
Rigi MR. 2003. Study of greenhouse effect on three types of vermicompost and nitrogen on yield and chemical composition of corn and rice. MSc Thesis. University of Shiraz, Shiraz, Iran.
Sabeti H. 1976. The Trees and Shrubs in Iran. Agriculture and Nature Resources Research Institute Press, Qom.
Shahhosseini GR, Zafarinia H, Sori MK, Pirasteh-Anosheh H. 2010. Yield of Upland Lentil Affected by Bio-sulfur, Azotobacter and Superabsorbent. Use Biological Fertilizer in Sustainable Horticulture and Agriculture, Shiraz, pp 25-29.
Singh RP, Agrawal M. 2007. Effects of sewage sludge amendment on heavy metal accumulation and consequent responses of Beta vulgaris plants. Chemosphere 67: 2229-2240.
Soumaré M, Demeyer A, Tack FMG, Verloo MG. 2002. Chemical characteristics of Malian and Belgian solid waste composts. Bioresour Technol 81: 97-101.
Subbarao GV, Ito O, Berry WL, Wheeler RM. 2003. Sodium: a functional plant nutrient. Crit Rev Plant Sci 22: 391-416.
Sundara B, Natarajan V, Hari K. 2002. Influence of phosphorous solubilizing bacteria on the changes in soil available phosphorous and sugarcane and sugar yields. Field Crop Res 77: 43-49.
Tajali A. 2008. The study of the effect of phonological stages and ecological condition on nutrition value of Atriplex canescense. Plant Ecosyst 4: 81-89.
Wong JWC, Ma KK, Fang KM, Cheung C. 1999. Utilization of a manure compost for organic for farming in Hong Kong. Bioresour Technol 67: 43-46.
Zhang W, Han DY, Dick WA, Davis KR, Hoitink HAJ. 1998. Compost and compost water extract-induced systemic acquired resistance in cucumber and Arabidopsis. Phytopathology 88: 450-455.