Microbiological processes in gray forest soil treated with sewage sludge compost

The effect of compost made of sewage sludge and applied in dose up to 90 t/ha on the microbial biomass, soil respiration, nitrogen-fixing activity, and on the organic matter content and concentrations of toxic metals in the gray forest soil of a nursery forest garden was studied in a field experiment. It was found that the adverse effects of the compost components on the studied parameters of the microbial communities were not observed two years after the compost application; this fact suggested that the soil microbial community overcame the stress caused by this anthropogenic impact. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc. 2006