Changes in physical conditions of a coarse textured soil by addition of organic wastes

Effects of composted tobacco waste, chicken manure and bio-humus applied during a period of three years on a coarse textured soil (Typic Xerofluvent) at Agriculture Faculty's Research and Practise Farmyard of Ege University located on Menemen plain (Izmir, Turkey) on soil physical properties were studied. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design on 16 plots with four replications. Each plot size was 5x3 m2. Composted tobacco waste (CTW) from cigarette industry and chicken manure (CM) and bio-humus (BH) from plant residuals were applied at rates of 50 t ha-1, 4 t ha-1, 10 t ha-1, respectively. Inorganic fertilizers (N-P-K) are also added with chicken manure and bio-humus plots. Tobacco wastes obtained from cigarette industry were used after composting. The addition of organic wastes resulted in a significant (p≤0.05) decrease in bulk density (BD); increase in porosity (PO), field capacity (FC), wilting point (WP), available water content (AWC) and structure stability index (SSI) of soil samples when compared to the control.