Effect of Animal Waste Based Digestate Fertilization on Soil Microbial Activities, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Spring Wheat Productivity in Loam and Sandy Loam Soil

Abstract

The increasing quantities of organic residues are becoming one of the most important problems for climate change mitigation. Sustainable utilization technologies are required to minimize the effect of recycling on the environment. Nevertheless, treated residues should be part of the circular bioeconomy. One of the most promising processes is the biogas system, with the final products biogas and digestate, which contain valuable nutrients and are therefore suitable as agricultural fertilizers. However, there is lack of research data on the effectiveness of digestate on environmental factors including soil quality as well as crop productivity and quality. In this study, we compare the roles of different digestates (chicken manure digestate, cow manure digestate, and pig manure digestate) on spring wheat productivity, soil microbial activities, and greenhouse gas emissions in loam and sandy loam soil under controlled climate conditions. The liquid digestate applied was equivalent to 170 kg N ha−1 of total N presented. Overall, results showed that the two soil types responded differently to the addition of the digestates, and the benefits depended on soil characteristics as well as on the type of the digestate applied. There was a higher effect on soil microbial activity in sandy loam soil compared to that of loam soil. Chicken manure digestate had the highest value of dehydrogenase activity and soil microbial biomass C of 9.23 µg TPFg−1 h−1 and 175.6 µg g−1 across the two soil types. CO2 and N2O emissions were moderately higher in loam soil when compared to that of sandy loam soil. The highest CO2 peak emission at 0.0107 µg ha−1 h−1 occurred in pig manure digestate in the sandy loam soil, and regular peak patterns observed in loam soil fertilized with pig digestate manure. Chicken manure digestate had the highest peak emissions across both soil types at 0.007950 mg ha−1 h−1 and 0.5667 mg ha−1 h−1 in the loam and sandy loam soil, respectively. The biomass yield varied across the soil types irrespective of the digestate applied. The agricultural benefits of digestates in different receiving soil ecosystems supplying essential nutrients for crop productivity, coupled with its environmental benefits, makes it an encouraging prospect in temperate climate zones.