Influence of Recycled Waste Compost on Soil Food Webs, Nutrient Cycling and Tree Growth in a Young Almond Orchard

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article is very interesting, comprehensive, and explores a wide range of aspects of composts. Perhaps just...if R was used, weren't various packages also used? These should also be cited. If not, no problem.

Author Response

The packages lme4 and vegan have been cited and the results revised to make it more clear that these are R packages. In other cases, the statistical functions were part of the basic R program, and are then not cited.

Reviewer 2 Report

The manuscript focused on the effect of recycled waste compost on soil biota, soil nutrient and plant. I think there are a large number of data and some interesting results from tree aboveground to soil food webs underground in the manuscript. So the manuscript comprehensively reflect the influence of recycled waste compost. However, there is still shortcoming in the manuscript and a few of problems were still needed to be revised. I suggest that part of results should be better presented in the revised manuscript.

In the Abstract, “how two cycled waste” will be changed as “how four treatments (food waste and dairy manure compost, N fertilizer and a control without fertilizer)” or “how food waste compost and dairy manure compost”.

In the results, the data of POXC should be also shown in Table 1, but not. Why? Too much number description was in the manuscript, which is not better than showing it in the table.

Numbers being presented in the table is not necessary to be shown it again in the text of the manuscript. It is unmeaningful to repeat it. The statistical analysis results had better be used to explain the variation differences.

Plant measurements will be shown in a table or a figure.

Are there any differences in the effect of two composts (food waste and diary manure)? If yes, please explained it in the results and discussed why the effect of two composts are different or not. Are any more beneficial or positive results for compost than fertilizer available from the view of soil biota or soil nutrient? Please explain it in the discussion.

The author had better find a person with scientific paper writing experience to revise the language and present the results well.

Some sentences with the problems in grammar, the use of word or structure were marked with yellow in the manuscript (see the attachment). There should be thorough revision in the manuscript for the author.

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx