Effects of compost produced from town wastes and sewage sludge on the physical properties of a loamy and a clay soil

Organic fertilizer produced by composting 62% town wastes, 21% sewage sludge and 17% sawdust by volume, was applied at the rates of 0 (control), 75, 150 and 300 m(3) ha(-1) to loamy and clay soils, in order to investigate its potential for soil improvement. The experiments were conducted in areas characterised by a semi-arid climate. The chemical properties of the soils were affected directly by the amendment compost. The physical properties of the amended soils were improved in all cases as far as the saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, water retention capacity, bulk density, total porosity, pore size distribution, soil resistance to penetration, aggregation and aggregate stability, were concerned. In most of the cases the improvements were proportional to the application rates of the compost and they were greater in the loamy soil than in the clay soil. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.