Nutrient content of barley and red clover as influenced by application of compost

Compost was made from source-separated municipal waste with or without disposable diapers included in the compostable waste stream. The composts were applied prior to planting of barley in a barley - red clover - potato rotation on a Charlottetown fine sandy loam soil. A control which did not receive compost was included in the randomized complete block experiments with four replications at each of the seven locations. Nutrient levels in the compost were determined by sampling compost material delivered to each location prior to, and during, the spreading operation. Nutrient levels in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) tissue were determined. Some nutrients were found at slightly higher concentrations in the compost made from the waste stream containing disposable diapers than from the waste stream where disposable diapers were excluded. Nutrient levels in barley and red clover from compost-treated plots were generally higher than from the untreated plots. The two compost sources generally produced barley and clover with similar nutrient levels.