CITY ORGANIC WASTE COMPOST USE IN ORCHARDS

Structure problem and especially deficiency of micro nutrients are commonly seen in soils of fruit orchards of our country, due to soils have alkaline reaction, high level of clay, lime and low organic matter contents. This situation negatively affects growing, yield and quality of fruit trees. Composts as resource of organic matter and nutrients can be used in the solution of these problems in fruit orchards. Relevant current information was discussed in this collecting paper. In this context, compost obtained from Kemerburgaz Compost Factory of İstanbul Big City Municipality was used in the doses of 0, 10 and 30 kg tree-1 to determine effects on some chemical properties, heavy metal content, growing of the trees and uptake of nutrient and heavy metal in fixed experiments of three apple orchards in Karaman Province in 2006-2008 years. In every three orchards, compost significantly increased EC, organic matter, P, S, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn contents of 0-30 cm and 30-60 cm layers in the soils. These increasing were more in the 0-30 cm layer of the soil than that of 30-60 cm layer. Compost application also significantly increased the nutrient contents of the apple leaf and Fe and Zn deficiency symptoms which were seen on the trees were removed by the compost use. Nickel, Cd and Pb amounts of the soil and leaf were considerably increased by compost, but these values did not reached to levels which allowed in the regulations. While the compost increase the fruit yield, mean fruit weight, mean fruit diameter, P, S, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn contents of fruit, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb contents of fruit decreased. It was determined that heavy metal contents in fruit of trees applied compost successively in tree years in every three orchards were as about 1-3% as amounts given permission for fresh fruits in food codex. The highest fruit yield was got by the dose of 30 kg compost tree-1 together with half dose of chemical fertilizers used by district farmers. So, chemical fertilizer use can be decreased about 50% by the compost application to fruit trees.