Nitrogen fertiliser value of biogas slurry and cattle manure for maize (Zea mays L.) production

Abstract

Recovery of nutrients from biogas slurry (BGS) as a soil amendment, on low input smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa, could improve agricultural production and minimize contribution of the agroecosystems to CO2 emissions. Comparative effects of BGS and cattle manure (CM) on maize dry matter, grain yield, uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and soil total N, extractable P and exchangeable K after harvest were studied, relative to chemical fertiliser (CF). The field experiment was conducted in the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 growing seasons and was arranged in a randomized complete block design replicated four times with (i) BGS, (ii) CM and (iii) CF as the treatments. Each treatment was applied at 40, 80 and 120 kg Nha−1. Additional P was added to BGS and CM to have the same added P as in the CF treatments. The CM treatment had higher dry matter than both BGS and CF in both seasons at each N rate. Maize grain yield from CF treatment was higher than the two organic fertilisers at each N rate, while the BGS treatment had higher grain yield than CM except at 40 kg Nha−1. When applied at the same N rate, BGS resulted in lower P and K than CF, and had higher extractable P with lower exchangeable K when compared with CM. The findings imply that while BGS provided nutrients, it resulted in lower maize dry matter than CM and lower grain yield than CF, but raised total N and available P, over time.