High sodium contents in food-waste compost(FWC) is the greatest limitation to recycle it to arable lands in Korea. The effects of the FWC application to paddy soil on the growth of rice plants, cationic balance in plants, and the sodicity of soil have...
High sodium contents in food-waste compost(FWC) is the greatest limitation to recycle it to arable lands in Korea. The effects of the FWC application to paddy soil on the growth of rice plants, cationic balance in plants, and the sodicity of soil have been studied in pot trials. The effects of FWC application were compared with those of NaCl compound and swine manure compost(SMC) application. $Na_2O$ contents of FWC were high as 2.2%. Immediately after transplanting, rice plants in three treatments showed severe wilting in the order of 40Mg FWC $ha^{-1}$ > NPK+900kg $NaClha^{-1}$ > 20Mg FWC $ha^{-1}$. The high EC value and volatile acid contents of soil solution were regarded as the cause of severe wilting of young rice plants. Increase of NaCl application rate upto $900kgha^{-1}$ showed no significant reduction of dry matter yield at harvesting stage. Regardless of application rates FWC reduced the dry matter yield at harvesting stage, while SMC increased it with increase of application rates upto $40Mgha^{-1}$. In NPK+NaCl and FWC treatments, Na contents and equivalent ratio in plants increased linearly with increase of Na application rates. Between Na and K equivalent ratio negative correlation with high significance was shown. In contrast to much difference of Na, K, and Na/K equivalent ratio among treatments, little difference of Na+K indicated the physiological substitution of Na for K in rice plants. Na use efficiency in NPK+NaCl and FWC treatments showed 12-22%.