Abstract
Granular organic fertilizers have been increasingly used in agriculture due to the longer delivery of nutrients to plants and the milder impact on the environment. The aim of this study was to determine the energy, environmental and economic efficiency of granular and non-granular organic fertilizers. Four technological scenarios of organic fertilizer use were used for comparative assessment: (1) manure fertilization (16.0 t ha−1), (2) manure fertilization (30.0 t ha−1), (3) manure pellet fertilization (2.0 t ha−1), and (4) fertilization with meat and bone meal pellets (0.7 t ha−1). Experimental studies using the mass flow method of laser spectroscopy were performed to evaluate the comparative environmental impact of granular and non-granular organic fertilizers. Economic assessment was performed for mechanized technological operations of loading, transportation and distribution of organic fertilizers, estimating the price of aggregates used and fuel consumed, the costs of individual technological operations and other indirect costs. The results showed that for mechanized technological operations, when fertilizing with granular organic manure and meat and bone meal fertilizer, energy consumption is 3.2 to 4.0 times lower compared to fertilization with manure. The average ammonia (NH3) emissions from granular organic fertilizers were found to be six times lower than from non-granular organic fertilizers. The lowest costs for mechanized works were incurred when using meat and bone meal pellets, the highest economic benefits of organic fertilizers by elements was when using manure 30 t ha−1, and the highest costs for organic fertilizers were incurred when using manure pellets.
Highlights
In recent decades, enhancing agricultural productivity without harming the environment has become an increasingly important issue as the population grows [1]
A comparative analysis of the main parameters of granular and non-granular organic fertilizer loading, transportation and spreading technological operations (Table 1) showed that the working time and the fuel consumption required for manure application per hectare is about three times higher compared to spreading the pellets of manure or meat and bone meal
Energy consumption of fertilization with organic fertilizer pellets for mechanized technological operations was 3.2 to 4.6 times lower compared to manure fertilization
Summary
In recent decades, enhancing agricultural productivity without harming the environment has become an increasingly important issue as the population grows [1]. In order to obtain an optimal yield, it is crucial to ensure soil health and to provide crops with the necessary nutrients. By maintaining a nutrient balance, nutrients that have been consumed by pre-crop plants can be returned to the soil with the help of fertilizers [2,3,4]. Reference [5] states that proper crop fertilization can increase crop production by as much as 30–50%. These needs are met by fertilizers with known levels of nutrients that can accelerate plant growth and assure higher yields [6]. In the case of organic fertilizers, up to 35 tonnes of manure per hectare can be used to meet the rates of nitrogen (N)
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