title: Impact of compost, vermicompost and biochar on soil fertility, maize yield and soil erosion in Northern Vietnam: a three year mesocosm experiment.
abstract: Compost, vermicompost and biochar amendments are thought to improve soil quality and plant yield. However, little is known about their long-term impact on crop yield and the environment in tropical agro-ecosystems. In this study we investigated the effect of organic amendments (buffalo manure, compost and vermicompost) and biochar (applied alone or with vermicompost) on plant yield, soil fertility, soil erosion and water dynamics in a degraded Acrisol in Vietnam. Maize growth and yield, as well as weed growth, were examined for three years in terrestrial mesocosms under natural rainfall. Maize yield and growth showed high inter-annual variability depending on the organic amendment. Vermicompost improved maize growth and yield but its effect was rather small and was only significant when water availability was limited (year 2). This suggests that vermicompost could be a promising substrate for improving the resistance of agrosystems to water stress. When the vermicompost-biochar mixture was applied, further growth and yield improvements were recorded in some cases. When applied alone, biochar had a positive influence on maize yield and growth, thus confirming its interest for improving long-term soil productivity. All organic amendments reduced water runoff, soil detachment and NH₄(+) and NO₃(-) transfer to water. These effects were more significant with vermicompost than with buffalo manure and compost, highlighting that the beneficial influence of vermicompost is not limited to its influence on plant yield. In addition, this study showed for the first time that the combination of vermicompost and biochar may not only improve plant productivity but also reduce the negative impact of agriculture on water quality.
authors: IRD, UMR 242 iEES Paris, équipe BioPhys, 32 Avenue H. Varagnat, 93143 Bondy Cedex, France; Soil and Fertilizer Research Institute, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
authors: Thuy Thu
authors: TT
authors: Doan
authors: Soil and Fertilizer Research Institute, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Hanoi, Viet Nam; NAFRI, National University of Vientiane, BP 811, Vientiane, Laos.
authors: Thierry
authors: T
authors: Henry-des-Tureaux
authors: UMR iEES Paris, équipe EcoIso, Campus AgroParisTech, Bâtiment EGER, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors: Cornelia
authors: C
authors: Rumpel
authors: IRD, UMR 242 iEES Paris, équipe BioPhys, 32 Avenue H. Varagnat, 93143 Bondy Cedex, France; Soil and Fertilizer Research Institute, Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
authors: Jean-Louis
authors: JL
authors: Janeau
authors: IRD, UMR 242 iEES Paris, équipe BioPhys, 32 Avenue H. Varagnat, 93143 Bondy Cedex, France; IFCWS, Civil Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Science, 560012 Bangalore, India. Electronic address: pascal.jouquet@ird.fr.
authors: Pascal
authors: P
authors: Jouquet
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005298:Fertility; D005308:Fertilizers; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D008372:Manure; D009835:Oligochaeta; D010944:Plants; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D014744:Vietnam; D003313:Zea mays / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D008372:Manure; D012987:Soil; C540010:biochar; D002606:Charcoal
keywords: Ecological engineering; Mesocosms; Tropical soil; Water quality