Changes in Properties of a Clayey Soil After Adding Composted and Uncomposted Gyttja

Abstract

This study presents an incubation experiment that investigates the effects of adding composted and uncomposted gyttja on a clayey soil's structural stability and other properties. For this purpose, 3% (w/w) of the composted and uncomposted gyttja was added to pots with and without grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) seeds and incubated for nine months under greenhouse conditions. In the third, sixth, and ninth months of the experiment, soil samples were tested. The results show that the time elapsed during the incubation period greatly affected the physical (average weighted diameter, aggregate stability, and volume weight) and chemical (pH, EC, organic matter, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na) properties of the soil. The input of composted and uncomposted gyttja caused significant changes in soil properties, but these were less pronounced in soils with composted gyttja.