TITLE:
Assessment of Fertilising Properties of a Solid Digestate in Comparison with Undigested Cattle Slurry Applied to an Acidic Soil
AUTHORS:
Carmo Horta, João Paulo Carneiro
KEYWORDS:
Agronomic Efficiency, Biogas, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Phosphorus Use Efficiency, Sustainable Agriculture
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Soil Science,
Vol.10 No.8,
August
19,
2020
ABSTRACT: The use of digestates or cattle slurries as fertilisers could contribute to the recycling of nutrients and organic matter, thus meeting the goals of the circular economy in agriculture. This work aims at evaluating the fertilising properties of a solid digestate (DG) in comparison with undigested cattle slurry (CS) and mineral fertilisation (MF). The experiment was performed in pots with ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) grown in an acidic soil during a 163 days crop cycle. The results showed that throughout the crop cycle neither DG nor CS increased soil organic matter. DG significantly increased (P