Incorporated versus Surface-Applied Compost: Impacts on Soybean (Glycine max) Yield Components and Soil Fertility Indicators

Author(s)

Dr. Fanson Kidwaro , Maheshwari Kuchanapally ,

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Volume 10 - October 2026 (10)

Abstract

Compost application improves soil health, yet the influence of placement method incorporation versus surface application on crop productivity and soil chemistry remains poorly characterized for fine-textured Midwestern soils. A two-season field study was conducted at the Illinois State University Research Farm (Lexington, Illinois) on a Drummer silty clay loam soil to compare incorporated versus surface-applied compost (2 t plot⁻¹, equivalent to approximately 10.7 Mg ha⁻¹ or 10,700 kg ha⁻¹) on soybean (Glycine max L. Merr., cv. AE3131S) yield and seventeen soil health indicators. Season 1 used a Completely Randomized Design (Surface vs. Incorporated, n=4), and Season 2 used a Randomized Complete Block Design (Surface, Incorporated, and an unamended Check, n=4). Soybean yield, plant height, pods per plant, and seed moisture did not differ significantly between application methods in either season (p>0.05). In Season 2, compost regardless of placement significantly increased CEC, nitrate-N, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium relative to the Check (p<0.05), with incorporated compost producing the highest values. A composite Soil Health Index was significantly higher for both compost treatments than the Check (p<0.01). No soil indicator or yield component differed significantly between incorporated and surface-applied compost; multivariate analyses (PCA, LDA, clustering) confirmed compost presence, not placement, drove fertility differentiation. Cohen's d effect sizes and post-hoc power analysis revealed that while most variables (18 of 21) showed negligible-to-small effects (d<0.5) indicating true equivalence, ammonium (d=1.14), calcium (d=0.81), and CEC (d=0.56) showed medium-to-large effects, suggesting these comparisons were underpowered at n=4 rather than truly null. These findings suggest producers may select compost placement based on operational efficiency without compromising near-term soil benefits, while yield gains require multi-year application.

Keywords

compost incorporation; surface application; soil health indicators; cation exchange capacity; soybean yield; soil health index; Cohen's d; statistical power analysis

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