MSW compost application on tomato crops in Mediterranean conditions: Effects on agronomic performance and nitrogen utilization

A two-year field experiment (2001 and 2003) was carried out in a Mediterranean environment to study the effects of municipal solid waste (MSW) compost application compared with mineral nitrogen (N) fertilization on the agronomic performance and N utilization of a tomato crop, in rotation with durum wheat. The research was conducted in the south of Italy where five N treatments and two soil tillage depths (40-45 cm and 10-15 cm) were compared. The N treatments were: MSW compost at 140 kg ha−1 (Ncom); mineral N fertilizer at 140 kg ha−1 (Nmin); MSW compost combined with mineral N fertilizer (Nmix) (70 kg ha−1 as organic N plus 70 kg ha−1 as mineral N); mineral N fertilizer at 70 kg ha−1 combined with two applications of foliar fertilizer (Nfito) (3 kg ha−1 as hydrolyzed proteins), and an untreated control (Contr). During cropping cycles, growth parameters and plant N status (SPAD readings and petiole nitrate content) were determined; at harvest the marketable, overripe, green fruit, total yield, yield compo...