Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Peer-reviewed

Long-term biosolids applications improve key soil health functions for semi-arid dryland systems

Mario Desjardins, James A. Ippolito, Andy I. Bary, Shannon B. Cappellazzi, Daniel Liptzin, Deirdre Griffin‐LaHue

The Science of The Total Environment · 2025

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Summary

Biosolids are municipal wastewater products (sewage sludge) that have undergone additional treatment to meet EPA requirements to be land applied to crop land as a nutrient and organic matter (OM) source. In semi-arid dryland systems, biosolids may be beneficial for improving soil physical, chemical, and biological attributes. The objective of this study was to determine how agronomically relevant biosolids application rates at two long-term (20+ year) field trials affected soil health properties in semi-arid dryland systems. Soil samples were collected (0-15 cm) from (1) a 26-year trial in central Washington (WA) in a grain-fallow rotation, with three biosolids application rates applied every four years compared to synthetic fertilizer and unfertilized controls, and (2) a 23-year trial in

Subject
Soil health assessment & monitoring
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
System type
Other
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180130
Catalogue ID
SNmp2b2m7j-rfo1x1
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