Abstract
Acidification of animal slurry is recommended to reduce NH3 emissions, but little is known about how such slurry influences soil microorganisms. Here we test the impact of acidified pig slurry, untreated slurry, and mineral N–S fertiliser on soil dehydrogenase activity (DHA), microbial community composition (PLFA), soil pH, and SO4-S, NO3-N, and NH4-N content in the 0–20 cm layer in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plots in Estonia in a field experiment conducted in 2017 and 2018. The slurry was acidified with H2SO4 (96%) to reach the target pH of 6.0 (to imitate the in-storage acidification system). The soil was sampled twice each year: 2 weeks after slurry spreading and at winter wheat harvest. In both years, the spreading of acidified slurry significantly increased the SO4-S content in the soil. The level of SO4-S was remarkably higher 2 weeks after slurry spreading, then decreased towards harvest, but remained significantly higher compared to other treatments. Compared to the untreated slurry, the use of acidified slurry had no significant (p < 0.05) effect on soil pH or NO3-N, and NH4-N content, nor soil DHA and microbial community composition. Only the relative abundance of Actinobacteria was significantly different between treatments, which is likely due do the added nitrogen in the NO3-N.
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