Abstract

This study aimed at measuring the effect of vermicompost on soil physical and chemical properties and runoff quality and quantity in agro-ecosystems in Northern Iran. Thus, runoff measurement plots of 1 × 5 m were set up in sloping lands under natural rainfall during 5 months. Runoff quality and quantity, soil properties, and plant growth were measured. This study shows that the amount of runoff water and its quality (sediment yields, nitrate content, pH, and conductivity) were not influenced by the fertilization treatments (vermicompost alone, chemical fertilization alone, or their mixture), except for the first month of the experiment where a lower runoff amount was measured when vermicompost was applied alone. Although no difference in plant growth was found, our results showed a significant improvement of soil properties when vermicompost was used as a fertilizer. Consequently, this study shows that vermicompost can be considered as an alternative application for reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and improving soil properties but its impact on plant growth and runoff is limited to the short term.

摘要

本研究旨在测量蚯蚓堆肥对伊朗北部农业生态系统中土壤物理和化学性质以及径流质量和数量的影响。因此，在 5 个月的自然降雨下，在坡地上设置了 1 × 5 m 的径流测量小区。测量径流质量和数量、土壤特性和植物生长。这项研究表明，除了第一个月的施肥处理（单独的蚯蚓堆肥、单独的化学施肥或它们的混合物）外，径流水的数量及其质量（沉积物产量、硝酸盐含量、pH 值和电导率）不受施肥处理的影响。单独施用蚯蚓粪时测得的径流量较低的实验。虽然没有发现植物生长的差异，我们的结果表明，当蚯蚓堆肥用作肥料时，土壤性质得到了显着改善。因此，这项研究表明，蚯蚓堆肥可被视为减少化肥使用和改善土壤性质的替代应用，但其对植物生长和径流的影响仅限于短期。