TITLE:
Effect of Dehydrated Digested Effluent of Manure on Yield and Quality of Annual Forages and Soil Chemical Properties in Southern Kyushu, Japan
AUTHORS:
Sachiko Idota, Yasuyuki Ishii
KEYWORDS:
Digested Effluent of Manure, Annual Forage, Nitrogen Recovery, Yield
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.5 No.10,
August
21,
2014
ABSTRACT: Digested effluent of manure (DEM) produced by biogas-plants contains many
macro- and micro-nutrients. In an experiment conducted in southern Kyushu
(Japan), forage crops cultivated after receiving DEM and chemical fertilizers
exhibited similar dry matter yields. From a logistical standpoint, however,
DEM in liquid form is difficult to handle and apply due to the low
concentration of nutrients. To overcome this shortcoming, we prepared
dehydrated DEM (DDEM) by adding DEM to cattle manure without disturbing the
manure fermentation process. The objective of this research was to evaluate the
effect of DDEM on dry matter yield and nitrogen recovery rate in annual dual-cropping
systems (summer crop of maize or sorghum and winter crop of Italian ryegrass)
that are typical of the region and to compare these results to commercial
cattle manure alone, in combination with chemical fertilizer (CM or CM + CF),
or no fertilizer application (NF). In both cropping systems, the DDEM treatment
produced similar dry matter yields (2.6 to 3.02 kg·m-2) and apparent nitrogen recovery rates (43% to 53%)
as the CM + CF and CM treatments. This suggests that DDEM can potentially
replace chemical fertilizers and commercial cattle manure in the region.