Péter Ragályi

Effect of organic fertilizers made from slaughterhouse wastes on yield of crops

Possible agricultural utilization of four different processed slaughterhouse waste composts and meat powder was examined in a field experiment in 2002–2008. The trial was set up with different crops on a calcareous sandy soil. The site was prone to drought. The soil was weakly supplied with N, P and K. Composts were applied once at five levels (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 t ha−1 fresh compost and 0, 2.5, 5.0, 10, 20 t ha−1 meat powder) in four replications. The fertilizing effect of these by-products was pronounced. Their N, P, Ca, Zn and Cu content might be many fold compared to manure. In the year of application, the 25 and 50 t ha−1 doses showed only slight positive effects on yield, partly due to drought. Extreme doses (100–200 t ha−1) of immature compost and semi-mature compost combined with dry weather in 2002 and 2003 (483 and 337 mm year−1 precipitation) caused depressions. Residual effects of composts were pronounced in 2004 when the triticale yield increased threefold compared to control. In the following years, the residual effects decreased, so the meat powder lost its effect after 2007, but immature and semi-mature composts significantly raised the yield even in 2008.

Effect of Gérce alginit on the fertility of an acid sandy soil

The effect of alginit on the soil and on triticale was studied over three years, from 2012 to 2014, in a long-term field experiment set up on acidic sandy soil in Nyirlugos 53 years ago. A 100 t•ha-1 rate of alginit was applied in autumn 2011 on plots given 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg•ha-1•year-1 N. The originally 5 x 10 = 50 m2 plots were halved, and the halves without alginit treatment served as controls. The 4N + 4N (with alginit) = 8 treatments × 4 replications = 32 plots. The main results are as follows: 1. Physical soil measurements showed that alginit treatment had no effect on the total porosity or water capacity of the soil. The field capacity increased by 4.4% on average, but this was not significant. The saturation percentage (KA according to Arany) rose significantly from 30.2 to 31.6. 2. On alginit-treated plots the pH(KCl) increased from 3.9 to 6.2, CEC from 1.3 to 3.6, EC from 21 to 67 ms/cm and base saturation from 53% to 74%, while the hydrolytic acidity decreased from 10 to 6 after the first year. 3. NH4-acetate + EDTA-soluble Ca increased from 154 to 730, K2O from 50 to 62, Mg from 18 to 104, Sr from 0.9 to 4.4 mg•kg-1 and Ni from 125 to 330 μ g•kg-1 on the alginit-treated plots. 4. The straw and grain yield of triticale increased in all three years. Alginit treatment generally doubled the yields, especially on plots treated with 150 kg•ha-1•year-1 N, which became acidified and impoverished in Ca, Mg, K and P. 5. Alginit treatment increased the Mg, Mo and Cd uptake and reduced that of Mn, Zn and Ba by triticale seeds. The Ca, Mg, S and Mo concentrations increased in the straw, while the incorporation of Mn, Zn, Ba, Cu, Ni and Co was inhibited by alginit. 6. Alginit is a suitable mineral for the amelioration of similar acid sands, which may eliminate the acidity caused by excessive N supplies and improve the water holding capacity, colloidal and nutrient status and drought-tolerance, and thus their fertility.

Mineral fertilization and grass productivity in a long-term field experiment

The effects of different N, P and K supply levels and their combinations were examined on the yield and element content of an established all-grass on a calcareous chernozem soil. (1) During the four years, the N alone produced 4.8 t ha−1, while the K gave 0.5 t ha−1 hay surplus. The N-fertilization lifted the hay mass four to five times compared to the N-control. The 200 kg ha−1 yr−1 N-dose was optimal. The 150 mg kg−1 AL-P2O5 and AL-K2O supply satisfied the P and K demand of the grass. The rising N, P and K supply together increased the hay yield to its sevenfold. (2) Air dry hay yield surplus produced per 1 kg N was 33 kg in the 100 kg ha−1 yr−1 treatment. (3) The second cuts yielded less hay with higher element concentrations. The N, P, Cu content increased by 30–50% and Mo content by 200–500% in some cases. The phosphate/molybdate and nitrate/molybdate anion antagonism had negative effect on Mo uptake. (4) The Cu/Mo ratio showed great variability according to the N × P interactions and cuts. A long-term fertilization can drastically modify the element composition of the fodder, so its regular control by hay analysis seems to be reasonable.

Effect of soil pollution on alfalfa yield and element composition.

Rural economy in Croatia with your small sized sector of peasant enterprises still stays in the shadow of restructuring of large industrial sector. The slow leading process of privatization, the wandering in the claim the best solution in agricultural development, absence of consensus about key development priorities, as well as common indicators of backwardness, are only part of gray scale of problems which dented the continue pauperization of wide rural area in Croatia. The Croatian government administration late with implementation of new rural policy measures, which are recommended by Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999. This act emphasis the balanced development of the countryside alongside the market support measures in the lights of the social and territorial cohesion. It is based on the following principles: recognising the multifunctional role of agriculture, improving competitiveness, ensuring that environmental issues are taken into account, diversifying economic activity, and conserving rural heritage. In the past time new rural policy in Croatia is considered below local and regional development programs, where the LEADER approach take important role. This is result of pre-accession process to EU and new possibilities of using considerable financial support in IPA subsidy program 2007- 2113.

NxP and NxK interactions on grass yield and mineral element composition

Our objectives were to assess and rank 3 soil condition variants - root zone improving (RI), mulch leaving (NIL) and minimum disturbing (MD) - suitability to soil quality improvement and demonstrate the plant responses to different soil state and rind a possible relation between soil condition and plant growth under extreme climate. To rank the soil-plant interrelations twelve soil and plant factors were assessed; quality and depth of loosening state, surface protection by plants and stubble residues, soil aggregation, earthworm number, water supply in the root zone, tillage-induced C-flux, rooting depth of plants, yield, dry biomass and biomass recycling. Finally, seven fundamental requirements were selected to mitigate climate-stress and to improve plant resistance to the heat damage. A climate damage mitigation soil tillage strategy can establish a harmony between soil conservation and the demands of crop production.The results of a small-pot experiment of cadmium-loading (5 mgkg) with the addition of zinc (5 mgkg) carried out are introduced in this paper. For this, soil samples were taken from 4 sites of plough-land, grassland and forest land-use types. Accumulation characteristics of the two metals as well as their interaction with the soil properties were analysed. The results show that land-use has significant effect on zinc uptake. There is close correlation between the zinc and cadmium uptake of plants as well as that cadmium concentration of soils plays an important role in it. Zinc shows positive correlation while cadmium shows negative correlation with organic matter. Beside organic colloids, inorganic colloids i.e. clay fraction also showed close correlation.The effects of soil and climatic properties was studied on the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) concerning on the heavy metal content of the plants. During this study the distribution of cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, and zinc was studied within a plant. Sampling was carried out in the same period of subsequent three years between 1995 and 1997. Our hypothesis was that the individuals of the same species has similar physiological answer for the same environmental properties. In this study we found no significant differences among the different plant’s parts and years. Our results can reveal that the ecological indication of plants could be major driver of agro-environmental studies to recognize unusual patterns of soil attributes.