Exposing How Long-Term Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers Affect the Physical Characteristics of Soil
Mert Acar, Taofeek Samuel Wahab, Özlem Karaca, Mehmet Işık, Alkhan Sarıyev, İbrahim Ortaş
Abstract
Abstract The study identifies the soil physical properties most influenced by long-term fertilizer application, offering valuable insights into sustainable agricultural practices. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effects of fertilizer application on soil physical properties by identifying key properties that require monitoring for improvement. A long-term field experiment was initiated (in 1996) on the Typic Xerofluvents soil series, which is generally low in organic carbon contents, and high in soil pH and calcium carbonate. The experiment was established under wheat-maize crop rotations with three replicates in which control (CO), mineral fertilizer (MF), animal manure (M25), compost (C25), compost and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (C10 + AMF) were applied. After the harvest, soil samples at 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm were collected and analyzed. Organic fertilizers such as M25, C25, and C10 + AM significantly increased soil organic matter (SOM) by 2.47, 2.19 and 1.86%, water stable aggregates (WSA), and air permeability ( k a ) at both depths. The organic fertilizer treatments significantly increased field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP v ), available water content (AWC v ) at 0–15 cm; bulk density (ρ b ), and total porosity (TP) at 15–30 cm. Furthermore, fertilizer application significantly improved crop yield. WSA had a strong positive correlation with SOM, while the principal component analysis showed that FC v , PWP v , AWC v , MiP, and MaP explained the highest variation, whereas ρ b , TP, and k a made lesser contributions. In terms of k a , hydraulic conductivity (K), SOM, WSA, and other soil parameters, CO outperformed MF; however, it fared badly when compared to organic fertilizers. Compost enhanced k a and K, whereas manure improved SOM, ρ b , and soil moisture; suggesting that if one of these properties is to be improved, a decision must be taken.