Spent mushroom substrates （SMS） are usually treated as wastes. One of the main beneficial uses of SMS is as soil amendment, after further composting, for horticulture. Avocado orchards in Northern Israel, are grown ...Spent mushroom substrates （SMS） are usually treated as wastes. One of the main beneficial uses of SMS is as soil amendment, after further composting, for horticulture. Avocado orchards in Northern Israel, are grown mainly on heavy clay soils, suffering from poor drainage and limited aeration. This situation can cause yield decrease and lead to tree＇s degeneration. In the present study, two soil cover （mulch） treatments were compared, in an avocado orchard, as means to solve this problem： SMS and cattle manure compost （CMC）. The yields of two avocado varieties were higher on SMS than CMC mulch. Thick growth of avocado roots was found in and under both mulch types. Soil＇s electrical conductivity （EC） values were high under both mulch types, although they later decreased, due to annual rainfall. There are treatments （leaching etc.） that can be used, for minimizing the increase of soil＇s salinity after SMS application. Enhancement of avocado root growth into and under the mulch can lead to improvement of avocado trees growth, especially on heavy un-drained soils. Therefore, SMS recycling is advantageous for both avocado and mushroom growers. The commercial utilization of SMS in avocado orchards should be done carefully, with monitoring its impact on soil＇s EC （salinity） and taking the needed measures to avoid unnecessary damages.展开更多
文摘Spent mushroom substrates （SMS） are usually treated as wastes. One of the main beneficial uses of SMS is as soil amendment, after further composting, for horticulture. Avocado orchards in Northern Israel, are grown mainly on heavy clay soils, suffering from poor drainage and limited aeration. This situation can cause yield decrease and lead to tree＇s degeneration. In the present study, two soil cover （mulch） treatments were compared, in an avocado orchard, as means to solve this problem： SMS and cattle manure compost （CMC）. The yields of two avocado varieties were higher on SMS than CMC mulch. Thick growth of avocado roots was found in and under both mulch types. Soil＇s electrical conductivity （EC） values were high under both mulch types, although they later decreased, due to annual rainfall. There are treatments （leaching etc.） that can be used, for minimizing the increase of soil＇s salinity after SMS application. Enhancement of avocado root growth into and under the mulch can lead to improvement of avocado trees growth, especially on heavy un-drained soils. Therefore, SMS recycling is advantageous for both avocado and mushroom growers. The commercial utilization of SMS in avocado orchards should be done carefully, with monitoring its impact on soil＇s EC （salinity） and taking the needed measures to avoid unnecessary damages.
