Miscanthus sinensis yields and Soil Fertility in Response to Compost Amendment in an Organic System.

Maintaining a satisfactory level of soil organic carbon (SOC) is essential for cycling nutrients, improving physical, chemical and biological properties of a soil and for sustaining productivity as well as soil and environmental quality. Optimum level of SOC in croplands can be obtained through crop rotation, conservation tillage methods or fertility maintenance. In organic farming, most of the synthetic fertilizers are prohibited and organic farmers have to use compost, cover crops, plant by-products, or animal manure to maintain or increase soil organic carbon in their soil.  Five amounts of partially composted dairy manure were added to small plots in each of three consecutive years. Here we describe the residual effects of these applications on soil fertility parameters and Miscanthus sinensis yields.