Abstract
It is known that compost application raises the soil temperature. However, the effects on crop growth of raising the soil temperature through compost application are not clear. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of compost application on soil temperature and corn growth in 2004-2005. The experiment included six treatments with two or three replicates : three chemical fertilizer treatments and three compost treatments. Chemical fertilizer application rate (N-P_O0_5-K_2O) was 15-15-15 or 20-20-20kg/10a for the standard application rate, 30-30-30 or 40-40-40 kg/10a for the medium application rate, and 60-60-60kg/10a for the high application rate. The amount of compost applied was 4, 8 and 16t/10a. The chemical fertilizer application rate influenced neither the soil temperature nor the corn growth. In the early growth stage, the soil temperature in the compost application treatments was higher than that in the standard chemical fertilizer application treatment. Although the corn yield was not increased by compost application, the corn emergence and silking were promoted and the plant height in the early growth stage was greater in the compost application treatments than in the standard chemical fertilizer application treatment. It was concluded that compost application enhanced corn early growth and ripening by raising the soil temperature.
