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Effects of digestate on the environment and on plant production - results of a research project

Fuchs, Jacques G.; Baier, Urs; Berner, Alfred; Mayer, Jochen and Schleiss, Konrad (2008) Effects of digestate on the environment and on plant production - results of a research project. Workshop at: ECN/ORBIT e.V. Workshop 2008 „The future for Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Waste in Europe“, Germany, Nuremberg. [Completed]

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Document available online at: http://www.compostnetwork.info/ad-conference/presentations/19_fuchs.pdf


Summary

Composts and digestates can influence soil fertility and plant health. These influences can be positive or negative, depending of the quality of the composts. A currently important question is to know, if digestates differ from composts in these aspects. A Swiss project is concerned with the estimation of the potential of Swiss composts and digestates to influence soil fertility and plant health positively. For this, one hundred composts and digestates representative of the different composting systems and qualities available on the Swiss market were analyzed.
The organic matter and nutrient content of the composts varied greatly between the composts and the digestates; the materials of origin were the major factor influencing these values. The respiration rate and enzyme activities also varied greatly; they are particularly important in digestates. The organic matter of digestates is less stable than that of composts.
The N-mineralization potential from the majority of the digestates added to soil is high, in comparison to young composts. When digestates are not correctly treated or stored, however, they can immobilize nitrogen in the soil. This problem is hardly correlated with the management of the digestate in the first stage after leaving the fermenter. Especially products which have become too dry during this period lost their ammonia-nitrogen, and hence immobilized nitrogen in the soil. The risk of phytotoxicity is higher in digestates than in composts. This limits the possibility for use of digestate. With a post-treatment of digestate, it is possible to produce high quality compost with a high compatibility with plant growth and with a more stabilized organic matter.
In field experiments, digestates increased the pH-value and the biological activity of soil to the same extent than composts. These effects were observable also one season after compost application. No immobilization of nitrogen was observed.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Workshop
Keywords:composts, digestates, soil fertility, plant health, Swiss, organic matter, nutrient, Bodenwissenschaften, Bodenfruchtbarkeit, Kompost, Phytopathologie, Interaktion Boden-Pflanzenkrankheiten, Grundlagen Pathologie Kompost
Agrovoc keywords:
Language
Value
URI
English
plant protection
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_5978
Subjects: Soil > Soil quality > Soil biology
Crop husbandry > Composting and manuring
Environmental aspects > Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Crop husbandry > Crop health, quality, protection
Research affiliation: Switzerland > Agroscope > ART - Reckenholz location
Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Crops > Crop protection
Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Soil
Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Sustainability > Biodiversity
Related Links:http://www.fibl.org/en/switzerland/research/soil-sciences.html, http://www.compostnetwork.info/ad-conference/presentations/19_fuchs.pdf
Deposited By: Fuchs, Dr. Jacques G.
ID Code:17981
Deposited On:16 Nov 2010 20:16
Last Modified:10 Aug 2021 12:40
Document Language:English
Status:Unpublished
Refereed:Not peer-reviewed

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