Effect of compost on erodibility of loamy sand under simulated rainfall E. Arthur a, ⁎, W.M. Cornelis a , J. Vermang a , E. De Rocker b a Ghent University, Department of Soil Management, Coupure links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium b Provincial Vegetable Research Station – East Flanders. Karreweg 6, 9770 Kruishoutem, Belgium abstract article info Article history: Received 30 July 2010 Received in revised form 20 October 2010 Accepted 24 December 2010 Keywords: Compost Aggregate stability Sandy soil Erosion Three types of composts [vegetable, fruit and yard waste compost (VFYW), garden waste compost (GW), and spent mushroom compost (SM)] were applied at a rate of 30 m 3 ha -1 for 10 years to loamy sand, to determine its effect on the aggregate stability and susceptibility to water erosion. Aggregate stability was measured using the stability index derived from the wet sieving method while a laboratory rainfall simulator was used to measure runoff, sheet and splash erosion. Only GW recorded a significant increase (45%) in aggregate stability. Runoff, sheet erosion, and splash erosion did not show significant improvement for any of the compost types. SM application resulted in a significant increase (51%) in the shear strength of the soil after rainfall. Long term compost application does not appreciably improve the resistance of loamy sand to water erosion. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Different types of composts are used on sandy soils to improve their chemical fertility (Weber et al., 2007), water availability and retention (Sabrah et al., 1995) or structural stability (Suzuki et al., 2007). Generally, compost has a positive influence on the physical properties of soil with its application improving the aggregate stability of a silt loam soil after addition of 5.12 g C kg -1 equivalent of biowaste, municipal solid waste and sludge composts in an incu- bation experiment (Annabi et al., 2007). Also, according to Leroy et al. (2008), separate application of vegetable, fruit and garden com- post (at an optimum rate of 22.5 tons ha -1 yr -1 ) and cattle slurry on a sandy loam in a field study resulted in significant increases in the aggregate stability, with their combination giving the highest sta- bility. Aggelides and Londra (2000) also found that when composted town waste and sewage sludge were added to loamy and clay soils at rates ranging from 75–300 m 3 ha -1 , such improvements were proportional to the rate of compost applied. The erodibility of soils is inversely related to the stability of the soil aggregates, with more stable aggregates being resistant to detachment and transport by water. There are disagreements in literature on the ability of compost to reduce soil loss due to water erosion. Gilley and Eghball (1998) reported that single application of beef cattle manure and compost does not have any effect on runoff and erosion using simulated rainfall. Similarly, Edwards et al. (2000), using partially incorporated compost produced from potato, manure and sawdust at a rate of 15 Mg ha -1 dry matter, reported no differences in the soil loss of a sandy loam. However, Faucette et al. (2004) indicated that there was a significant reduction in soil loss when yard waste compost and five other types of compost were applied. Persyn et al. (2004) re- ported a significant reduction in rill erosion under simulated rainfall with an intensity of 95 mm hr -1 when composted yard waste and biosolids were applied. Similarly, Birt et al. (2007) showed a signif- icant reduction in interrill and rill erosion using yard waste compost. To contribute to the existing knowledge on the clear cut effect of compost on the structural stability and erodibility of sandy soils, the objective of this paper is to study the effect of long-term application of three compost types on the aggregate stability and erosion resistance of loamy sand. 2. Materials and methods The study was conducted using soil sampled from study plots of the Provincial Vegetable Research Station, Kruishoutem, Belgium. The soil at the station is a Haplic Podzol (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2006) and has a loamy sand texture. The types of compost used were Vegetable, fruit and yard waste compost (VFYW) and Garden waste compost (GW) from Vlaco, Belgium and Spent Mushroom compost (SM) from NV Karel Sterckx (Belgium). The chemical characteristics of the composts are presented in Table 1. The VFYW and GW were screened by a 10 mm screen at the end of the composting process before application to the soil. The composts were incorporated, in solid form, into the soil to a depth of 30 – 40 cm with a rotary tiller at a rate of 30 m 3 ha -1 yr -1 for 9 years. Control plots were tilled sim- ilarly to the composted ones. The experiment was organized as a Catena 85 (2011) 67–72 ⁎ Corresponding author. Department of Agroecology and Environment, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé Postbox 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark. Tel.: +45 526 822 83. E-mail address: quamena2001@yahoo.com (E. Arthur). 0341-8162/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2010.12.005 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Catena journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/catena