Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Peer-reviewed

Compost Application Enhances Soil Health and Maintains Crop Yield: Insights From 56 Farmer‐Managed Arable Fields

Anna Edlinger, Chantal Herzog, Gina Garland, Florian Walder, Samiran Banerjee, Sonja G. Keel, Jochen Mayer, Laurent Philippot, Sana Romdhane, Marcus Schiedung, Michael W. Schmidt, Benjamin Seitz, Chloé Wüst‐Galley, Marcel G. A. van der Heijden

Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment · 2025

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Summary

ABSTRACT Introduction Improving soil health while maintaining crop yield is a key challenge for farmers. So far, only a few studies assessed the effects of compost and solid digestate application on soil health and plant yield under practical on‐farm conditions across both organic and conventional cropping systems. Materials and Methods This study examined 56 arable fields in Switzerland, managed either conventionally ( n = 39) or organically ( n = 17) by individual farmers. Fields were categorised based on their fertilisation history: standard fertilisation ( n = 21), including livestock manure, slurry, and mineral fertilisers (reference), or with additional compost ( n = 26) or solid digestate ( n = 9) amendments. Soil health was assessed based on eight chemical, biological, and physical

Source type
Peer-reviewed study
DOI
10.1002/sae2.70041
Catalogue ID
SNmoh7j0cc-w1irea
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