Table 1.
Physico-chemical characteristics of soil and cured compost used for the study
| Characteristics | Soil | Compost | EU | South Africa* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand % | 81 | na | na | na |
| Silt % | 3 | na | na | na |
| Clay % | 16 | na | na | na |
| Textural class | Sandy loam | na | na | na |
| pH (H20) | 8.2 | 7.8 | na | na |
| pH (KCl) | 7.1 | 7.4 | na | na |
| Electrical conductivity (µs) | 78.6 | 70.88 | na | na |
| Total C (g/kg) | 18.0 | 134 | na | na |
| Total N (g/kg) | 0.5 | 35,559.2 | na | na |
| Na (g/kg) | 0.02 | 3.3 | na | na |
| Mg (g/kg) | 0.3 | 7.2 | na | na |
| Al (g/kg) | 33.26 | 16.2 | na | na |
| P (Bray1) (g/kg) | 0.1 | 1.4 | na | na |
| K (g/kg) | 0.3 | 10.2 | na | na |
| Ca (g/kg) | 0.7 | 119.5 | na | na |
| Mn (mg/kg) | 39.8 | 1288 | na | 740 |
| Fe (mg/kg) | 7.9 | 1172 | na | na |
| Co (mg/kg) | nd | 1.2 | 300 | 300 |
| Cr (mg/kg) | nd | 11.6 | 150 | 6.5 |
| Ni (mg/kg) | 14.7 | 16.2 | 75 | 91 |
| Cu (mg/kg) | 0.7 | 54.4 | 140 | 16 |
| Zn (mg/kg) | 11.8 | 11.6 | 300 | 240 |
| As (mg/kg) | 0.2 | 0.8 | 20 | 5.8 |
| Mo (mg/kg) | nd | 31.6 | na | na |
| Pb (mg/kg) | 0.19 | 3596.1 | 300 | 20 |
| Cd (mg/kg) | 0.06 | 2312 | 3 | 7.5 |