Organic Soil Amendments - Wortman Research

Organic soil amendments, which often includes animal manures, seed meals, and composted yard waste, are a renewable resource that can provide many benefits to soil and plants. Organic amendments are most often used to supplement or provide all crop essential nutrients, especially in organic farming systems. However, there may be opportunities to integrate management of soil fertility and pests using organic amendments. For example, corn gluten meal, which contains 10% nitrogen, has been shown to inhibit germination and growth of some weed species. Yard waste compost usually contains less than 2% nitrogen, but heavy application rates within a crop row may serve to physically suppress weed emergence and growth. Our research aim is to identify the multifunctional benefits of different organic amendments, and to explore application methods, rates, and intervals that will help us maximize these benefits in organic vegetable cropping systems.