Nitrogen management considerations for landspreading municipal solid waste compost

Many municipalities have examined composting as an alternative to landfilling for the management of organic solid waste materials. Ultimately these materials will be land-applied and therefore some knowledge of nutrient availability will be necessary to optimize crop yield and minimize environmental risk. Field studies were conducted in 1993 and 1994 on a silt loam and a loamy sand soil in Wisconsin to determine the effect of municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) on corn (Zea mays L.) yield, plant nutrient concentration, and soil nitrate N content. Municipal solid waste composts with ages of 7, 36, and 270 d were applied at rates of 22.5, 45, and 90 Mg ha(-1) to small plots. Rates of commercial nitrogen (N) fertilizer, ranging from 0 to 179 kg N ha(-1), were applied to separate plots to determine the N availability from the MSWC. Treatments were applied in the spring and incorporated before planting corn. The 270-d MSWC increased corn whole-plant dry matter and grain yield at each location in both years above the 7- and 36-d MSWC. Rate of MSWC only affected grain yield at the loamy sand site in 1994. Municipal solid waste compost had minimal effect on the levels of plant nutrients in the whole-plant tissue measured at physiological maturity. Nitrate N measured in the top 90 cm of soil was higher throughout the growing season in treatments receiving recommended N fertilizer when compared with any of the MSWC treatments. It was estimated that 6 to 17% of the total N in the 270-d MSWC became available in the first year. The land-application of mature MSWC at the tested rates would be an agronomically and environmentally admissible practice.