Waste recovered by-products can increase growth of grass-clover mixtures in low fertility soils and alter botanical and mineral nutrient composition

The effectiveness of four by‐products (biogas digestate, pot ale, rockdust and wood ash) as fertilisers of a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)–red clover (Trifolium pratense) mixture in terms of biomass production, botanical composition and macro‐ and micronutrient concentrations was tested in an...

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Published inAnnals of applied biology Vol. 166; no. 1; pp. 105 - 117
Main Authors Dahlin, A.S., Ramezanian, A., Campbell, C.D., Hillier, S., Öborn, I.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2015
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
Agricultural production
Agricultural Science
Biogas
biomass production
Botanical composition
by-product recycling
Byproducts
calcium
cobalt
copper
crop growth
crop quality
crops
Fertilizers
forage production
forage quality
Grasses
Growing season
Herbivores
Jordbruksvetenskap
Livestock
Lolium perenne
macro- and micronutrient concentrations
magnesium
manganese
Markvetenskap
Micronutrients
molybdenum
Nutrient concentrations
nutrient content
nutrients
Plant species
Soil chemistry
Soil fertility
Soil properties
Soil Science
Trifolium pratense
wood ash
zinc
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Summary:The effectiveness of four by‐products (biogas digestate, pot ale, rockdust and wood ash) as fertilisers of a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)–red clover (Trifolium pratense) mixture in terms of biomass production, botanical composition and macro‐ and micronutrient concentrations was tested in an outdoor pot trial. This was carried out over two growing seasons using two inherently low‐fertility soils used for forage production. Macro‐ and micronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo and Zn) relevant for crops and livestock were determined in soils and plants. All the by‐products increased overall biomass production and affected nutrient concentrations of the individual plant species to varying degrees. In addition the competitive balance between grass and clover was altered leading to different botanical composition in the different treatments and consequently differences in the nutrient concentrations of the species mixture. Changes were due to the nutrients applied in the by‐products per se and/or to changes in the soil chemistry caused by the by‐products. The results suggest a potential to enhance agricultural productivity through improved production and quality of forage on less fertile land by matching of by‐products and soil properties.
Bibliography:istex:64EE13CDA0C98D31834C39D6ABEDD2A4B4C3928B
Swedish Research Council for Environment
Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas)
ark:/67375/WNG-HKGP4QV3-T
ArticleID:AAB12168
Fig. S1. All-season average clover concentration of (A) macronutrients (g kg−1 DW) and (B) micronutrients (mg kg−1 DW).Fig. S2. All-season average grass concentration of (A) macronutrients (g kg−1 DW) and (B) micronutrients (mg kg−1 DW).Fig. S3. Overall (A) macronutrient (g kg−1 DW) and (B) micronutrient (mg kg−1 DW) concentrations of grass-clover mixture.Fig. S4. Accumulated off-take of (A) macronutrients (g m−2) and (B) micronutrients (mg m−2) by the grass-clover mixture.Table S1. Correlations between plant nutrient concentrations and soil pH, plant biomass (g DW) production and soil EDTA extractable concentrations of the same nutrient.
The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
ISSN:0003-4746
1744-7348
DOI:10.1111/aab.12168