HORTICULTURAL USES OF COMPOSTED MATERIAL

1. It is an effective method of drying and reducing the mass and especially volume of wastes, to be transported to landfills while minimizing the risks to the environment.
2. The end-product of the process can serve as a soil amendment, having beneficial physical, chemical and biological effects on the soil and on crops.
3. Compost may be used effectively for the reclamation of infertile soils such as calcareous, dispersed and impoverished soils.
4. It is possible to produce special, high-value products such as growing substrates from certain raw materials.

Horticulture and especially organic agriculture are using increasing quantities of composts of various types. In terms of volume the most important application is to soil-grown fruit trees and vegetables. Compost contributions to the soil-plant system are diverse:

1. Several organic molecules (e.g. polysaccharides and humic acid) improve soil texture through their effect on aggregation of clay particles.
2. As the added organic matter is a substrate for soil microorganisms, it enables, through their activity, enhanced nutrient cycling and weathering of soil minerals.
3. Composts contain considerable amounts of nutrients that can supplement plant nutrition.

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