Abstract
At present, organic fertilizers are not widely used in intensive arable agriculture, and not much is known about their effects on crop nutrition. In a field experiment at Rothamsted, UK, anaerobic digestate (AD), compost, farmyard manure (FYM), straw, and mixes of amendment + straw, were applied at: 1, 1.75, 2.5 or 3.5 t carbon ha−1, with all plots receiving the same input of mineral fertilizer. After five seasons of application, plots receiving non-straw amendments had greater straw and grain yield of 28% and 18% respectively, and plots receiving the highest amendment rate had a 37% higher straw and 23% higher grain yield, compared to control plots. Whereas, the straw-only amendment did not increase yield compared to the control. The concentrations of secondary and micro nutrients in the crop, particularly P, Ca, and S in the straw, and P and Fe in the grain, were significantly greater in the crop receiving non-straw amendment compared to the control. Interestingly K, Fe, and Zn were greater in the crop straw treated with the straw-only amendment. Therefore ‘biomass dilution’ of secondary and micro nutrients did not occur in the higher-yielding amended plots after five seasons, and organic fertilizers would improve the quality of high-yielding, intensively produced crops. The study also demonstrates that portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) could be a reliable, cost-effective tool for screening potential organic fertilizers.
Highlights
Mineral fertilizers, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), are widely used in intensive arable farming, but at present organic fertilizers are not common
Cattle slurry (49%) accounts for the greatest source of organic fertilizer, followed by farmyard manure (FYM, 38%), biosolids, and industrial wastes, each accounting for ~2% of the organic fertilizer applied [1]
Crop straw is removed from 73% of UK farms, which removes 10% more P and 50% more K compared to the removal of grain alone [3]
Summary
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), are widely used in intensive arable farming, but at present organic fertilizers are not common. In 2017, organic fertilizers in the form of manure or slurry were applied to 25% of the area of arable crops in the UK. Cattle slurry (49%) accounts for the greatest source of organic fertilizer, followed by farmyard manure (FYM, 38%), biosolids (treated sewage sludge), and industrial wastes (including compost, brewery effluents, and paper waste), each accounting for ~2% of the organic fertilizer applied [1]. Recycling organic waste as a crop fertilizer, as opposed to its disposal at landfill, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions [4,5]. In the EU in 2017, 26% of MSW (municipal solid waste/ bio-waste) was landfilled, 30% was recycled, and a further 17% was composted [6]. This is an increase in recycling and composting of 195% and 205% respectively, since 1995 and the adoption of the European Landfill
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