Recycled farm waste fertilizer grows bigger corn, needs safety checks
Depel G, Demir Z, Ünal DÖ, Namlı A, Alıcı NC
Soil Health
If you compost or garden with livestock manure, this study shows why heat-treating organic waste before spreading it matters just as much as the nutrient boost it gives your soil.
Scientists took the leftover liquid from biogas digesters, made from chicken, cattle, and crop waste, and spread it on corn fields instead of synthetic fertilizer. The corn grew bigger and the soil got healthier, with more nutrients and more active soil microbes. But the leftover liquid also had some bacteria and pesticide traces that didn't fully disappear, so the researchers say it needs to be heat-treated and carefully dosed before it's safe to use.
Key Findings
Liquid digestates significantly increased maize grain yield, thousand-kernel weight, cob weight, and kernel yield per cob across application rates of 10-70 t/ha
Soil improved with higher available phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and boron, plus increased microbial biomass carbon, respiration, urease and phosphatase activity
No Salmonella, Listeria, or E. coli O157 detected, but elevated Clostridium spp. counts and pesticide residues like permethrin signal a need for hygienization before field use
chevron_right Technical Summary
Liquid digestate from poultry, cattle, and plant waste boosted maize yields and improved soil health in a two-year field trial, but researchers found traces of Clostridium bacteria and pesticide residues that mean these fertilizers need proper treatment before farm use.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Field evaluation of liquid fraction of digestates from different feedstocks on soil properties, water productivity, maize yield and economic performance.
The sustainable management of livestock and plant residues is a key challenge in modern agriculture, and the recycling of organic wastes through liquid fraction of digestates (LDs) represents a pro...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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