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2026 Vol.59, Issue 1 Preview Page

Original research article

Effect of phyllite application as a soil amendment on soil chemical properties and crop growth
Jae-Hyuk Park1
,
Jin-Ju Yun1
,
Jae-Hong Shim2
,
Sang-Ho Jeon2
,
Se-Won Kang3
,
Ju-Sik Cho3*
1Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Soil Water Environment, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, RDA, Wanju, 55365, Korea
2Researcher, Division of Soil Water Environment, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, RDA, Wanju, 55365, Korea
3Professor, Department of Agricultural Life Science, College of Life Science and Natural Resources, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea
*Corresponding Author
28 February 2026. pp. 51-60
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Abstract

Clay minerals can be used as soil amendment to improve the physicochemical properties and increase the surface area and nutrient retention capacity of agricultural soil, thereby enhancing crop productivity. Clay minerals vary in surface area, particle size, and inorganic content depending on their type. This study was conducted to investigate the correlation of changes in soil chemical properties, crop growth, and nutrient uptake with the amount of clay mineral phyllite applied. For this, a greenhouse pot experiment, using lettuce and Kimchi cabbage as the target crops, was performed. The treatment groups were P0 (control, not treated with phyllite) and P10, P20, P30, and P40 (treated with 10, 20, 30, and 40 Mg ha-1 of phyllite). All the groups were treated with N-P2O5-K2O corresponding to the standard fertilizer amount for each crop. Post-harvest soil analyses indicated that soil pH in the P10, P20, P30, and P40 treatments increased by 1.8%, 8.0%, 10.5%, and 14.1% respectively, relative to the untreated control. Exchangeable Ca increased by 11.4%, 11.4%, 24.5%, and 43.1%, respectively, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) showed corresponding increases of 6.2%, 1.0%, 2.2%, and 16.4% under the same treatments. Fresh weight of lettuce and Kimchi cabbage was 25.6 - 85.3 g plant-1 and 112.6 - 162.7 g plant-1, respectively, and leaf length was 13.8 - 20.3 cm plant-1, and 24.4 - 31.8 cm plant-1, respectively. Crop growth consistently increased with increasing phyllite application, and the 20 Mg ha-1 treatment produced a statistically significant response. Regardless of the crop, nutrient uptake increased as the amount of phyllite treatment increased, and T-N, T-P, and K2O uptake increased in the ranges of 0.56 - 125%, 13.4 - 182%, and 18.4 - 333%, respectively, compared to P0. Hence, phyllite, a clay mineral, is an effective organic material for agricultural land that can increase crop nutrient absorption and improve the physicochemical properties of soil.

Fresh weight and post-harvest images of lettuce and Kimchi cabbage.
Keywords
Application level
Clay mineral
Nutrient uptake
Phyllite
Soil amendment
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Soil Science and Fertilizer
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국토양비료학회
  • Journal Title :Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국토양비료학회 학회지
  • Volume : 59
  • No :1
  • Pages :51-60
  • Received Date : 2025-10-30
  • Revised Date : 2025-11-20
  • Accepted Date : 2025-12-05
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7745/KJSSF.2026.59.1.051
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