The effect of spent mushroom compost on soil conditions and plant growth
type: CreativeWork
description: Spent mushroom compost (SMC), a byproduct of the mushroom industry, is used widely by horticulturalists and home gardeners. However, no studies have been reported that evaluate SMC as a soil amendment in New Zealand, and work in other countries has been of limited scope. Therefore the objectives of this study were to: evaluate the effect of SMC on soil chemical and physical properties, and on the yield of three vegetable species; to determine the rate of nutrient release from SMC amended soil, and to describe this release using kinetic models; to compare leaching losses from SMC with those from inorganic fertilizer; and to develop practical guidelines for SMC use. The SMC investigated contained 1.8% N (of which 94% was organic), 0.8% P, 1.6% K, 1.3% S (of which 17% was organic), 5.9% Ca and 0.4% Mg (on a dry weight basis) and was obtained from Meadow Mushrooms Limited, Prebbleton, Christchurch. A field trial with treatments including 0, 20, 40 and 80 t ha⁻¹ moist SMC, both with and without inorganic fertilizer, was conducted for two years (10/91 to 11/93) on a Templeton fine sandy loam (Udic Ustochrept, fine loamy, mixed, mesic) at Lincoln. Field applications of SMC produced an improvement in a wide range of soil chemical properties including increases in soil pH, organic-C, biomass-C, total-N, Olsen-P, total-P, phosphate extractable-SO₄²⁻-S, total-S, exchangeable-K, exchangeable-Ca, exchangeable-Mg, total exchangeable bases, cation exchange capacity and base saturation. The soil electrical conductivity was also increased following the application of SMC. Applications of SMC produced a rapid but brief increase in the soil NO₃⁻-N concentration as a result of nitrification of the NH₄⁺-N added in SMC. Following this initial phase, net N mineralization or immobilization occurred. Net N immobilization was most prevalent in the 20 t ha⁻¹ SMC treatment. The addition of SMC to soil improved the physical environment for plant root growth by reducing soil bulk density, increa…
abstract: Spent mushroom compost (SMC), a byproduct of the mushroom industry, is used widely by horticulturalists and home gardeners. However, no studies have been reported that evaluate SMC as a soil amendment in New Zealand, and work in other countries has been of limited scope. Therefore the objectives of this study were to: evaluate the effect of SMC on soil chemical and physical properties, and on the yield of three vegetable species; to determine the rate of nutrient release from SMC amended soil, and to describe this release using kinetic models; to compare leaching losses from SMC with those from inorganic fertilizer; and to develop practical guidelines for SMC use. The SMC investigated contained 1.8% N (of which 94% was organic), 0.8% P, 1.6% K, 1.3% S (of which 17% was organic), 5.9% Ca and 0.4% Mg (on a dry weight basis) and was obtained from Meadow Mushrooms Limited, Prebbleton, Christchurch. A field trial with treatments including 0, 20, 40 and 80 t ha⁻¹ moist SMC, both with and without inorganic fertilizer, was conducted for two years (10/91 to 11/93) on a Templeton fine sandy loam (Udic Ustochrept, fine loamy, mixed, mesic) at Lincoln. Field applications of SMC produced an improvement in a wide range of soil chemical properties including increases in soil pH, organic-C, biomass-C, total-N, Olsen-P, total-P, phosphate extractable-SO₄²⁻-S, total-S, exchangeable-K, exchangeable-Ca, exchangeable-Mg, total exchangeable bases, cation exchange capacity and base saturation. The soil electrical conductivity was also increased following the application of SMC. Applications of SMC produced a rapid but brief increase in the soil NO₃⁻-N concentration as a result of nitrification of the NH₄⁺-N added in SMC. Following this initial phase, net N mineralization or immobilization occurred. Net N immobilization was most prevalent in the 20 t ha⁻¹ SMC treatment. The addition of SMC to soil improved the physical environment for plant root growth by reducing soil bulk density, increa…
author: Stewart, Dean P. C.
language: en
keywords: mushroom composts, spent mushroom composts, soil chemical properties, soil pH, soil physical properties, soil amendments, plant growth, Marsden::300103 Soil chemistry, Marsden::300101 Soil physics
license: https://researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz/pages/rights
date published: 1995
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:50:30Z
provider: Lincoln University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Lincoln University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10182/1550