Urban waste compost is an organic manure frequently used in horticultural areas. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of urban waste compost on soil fertility, on lettuce production and on nutrient accumulation in plants. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using PVC columns. It was used a randomized block design with five treatments and eight replications. The treatments consisted of five urban waste compost rates (0; 30; 60; 90; and 120 t ha-1). The columns were filled up with soil from the 0-20 layer (treated with waste compost), 20-40 and 40-60 cm layer of a sandy-loam Alfisol, and one lettuce seedling was planted. At the end of the first cycle, the rings of the columns of four replicates of each treatment were taken apart and another lettuce cultivation was carried out in the remaining four replicate columns. The urban waste compost incorporated at a depth of 0-20 cm improved the soil fertility in this layer and of the 20-40 cm layer, but caused no alteration in the characteristics at the 40-60 cm layer. Fertilization with urban waste compost increased pH, OM, P, K, Ca, and Mg in the 0-20 cm layer and pH and Ca at a depth of 20-40 cm. The improvement of soil fertility with the urban waste compost application increased the lettuce yield and P, K and Ca accumulation by plants.
organic fertilization; pH; macronutrients; lettuce
