Silvia Bachmann

Phosphorus Fertilizing Effects of Biomass Ashes

The reutilization of biomass ashes in agriculture is important to create nutrient cycles. In field and pot experiments we investigated the fertilizing effects of different biomass ashes (rape meal ash, straw ash, and cereal ash) for eight different crops on a loamy sand and a sandy loam. Special emphasis was given to phosphorus (P). The ashes showed large differences in their elemental composition. The highest P contents (10.5%) were measured in the cereal ash, and lowest in straw ash (1% P). The solubility of P in water was low; however, about 80% of P was soluble in citric acid. Generally, the P fertilizing effect of ashes was comparable to that of highly soluble P fertilizers such as triple superphosphate. The ash supply resulted in an increase of P uptake of cultivated crops as well as in increased soil P pools (total P, water-soluble P, double-lactate-soluble P, oxalate-soluble P) and P saturation. The ash effects depended also on the cultivated crop. Good results were found in combination with phacelia, buckwheat, and maize. Provided that biomass ashes are low in heavy metals and other toxic substances, the ashes can be applied in agriculture as a valuable fertilizer.

Phosphorus distribution and availability in untreated and mechanically separated biogas digestates

Biogas digestates contain valuable nutrients but also have high water contents. Di-gestates were sampled from two different biogas facilities before and after solid-liquid separation and were analyzed with regard to their composition and phosphorus (P) fractions. Additionally, to investigate the P fertilizer effects of these digestates in comparison with undigested slurry or TripleSuper-P (TSP), they were applied in a pot experiment (6 kg soil per pot) in an amount corresponding to 200 mg P per pot in combination with various crops (amaranth, maize, maize + beans mixed cropping, sorghum). A separation of digestates resulted in higher P concentrations of the solid fraction in comparison with the liquid fraction. The proportion of the readily soluble P fractions (H2O-P, NaHCO3-P) to the total P was higher than 70 % in all digestates. The digestates increased P uptake of the tested crops and concentrations of bioavailable P in the soil to the same extent as highly soluble TSP. Activities of soil enzymes were lower after application of the digestates in comparison to unfermented slurry. The fertilizer management of digestates can be improved by a solid-liquid separation since the solid fraction showed a relatively high concentration of P resulting in a reduction in application doses required to meet the P demands of crops.

Biogas digestates affect crop P uptake and soil microbial community composition.

Fermentation residues from biogas production are known as valuable organic fertilisers. This study deals with the effect of cattle slurry, co-digested cattle slurry, co-digested energy crops and mineral fertilisers on the activity and composition of soil microbiota. Furthermore, the effect of solid-liquid separation as a common pre-treatment of digestate was tested. The fertilising effects were analysed in an 8-week pot experiment on loamy sand using two crops, Amaranthus cruentus and Sorghum bicolor. Amaranth, as a crop with significantly higher P uptake, triggered stress for occurring soil microbes and thereby caused a reduction of microbial biomass C in the soil. Irrespective of the crop, microbial basal respiration and metabolic quotient were higher with the digestates than with the untreated slurry or the mineral treatments. Community level physiological profiles with MicroResp showed considerable differences among the treatments, with particularly strong effects of solid-liquid separation. Similar results were also found on a structural level (PCR-DGGE). Alkaline phosphatase gene analyses revealed high sensitivity to different fertilisation regimes.

Soil Phosphorus Pools as Affected by Application of Poultry Litter Ash in Combination with Catch Crop Cultivation

Biomass ashes from energy production are a source of phosphorus (P), and their reutilization in agriculture could help to close nutrient cycles and save natural P resources. To analyze the P fertilizing effect of biomass ashes, a pot experiment with a loamy sand, originated from a long-term field experiment without any P supply, was carried out. As P source, poultry litter ash was compared with high soluble mineral P (potassium phosphate; KH2PO4). Four catch crops, in particular phacelia, buckwheat, ryegrass, and oil radish, were cultivated. The soil P-fractionation method was used to follow the transformation process of ash P in the soil. Oxalate-soluble P, iron (Fe), and aluminium (Al) were determined to assess the effect of ash on P sorption parameters. In general, a high P-fertilizing effect of biomass ashes was found. Ash application resulted in an increase of plant P uptake and the most bioavailable resin P fraction and was even comparable to a high soluble mineral P source. No enrichment of ash P in hardly plant-available P fractions could be detected. Crops mainly influenced the readily available P fractions. Buckwheat and oil radish exhausted the resin P and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) P fractions most. Phacelia cultivation led to an increase of the highly available resin P content, which is probably due to mobilization processes from the hardly available residual P fraction. The obtained results indicate that ashes may have a high P availability to plants and may provide an adequate substitute for commercial P fertilizers.

Management Options for an Efficient Utilization of Phosphorus in Agroecosystems

This chapter focuses on management options to increase the utilization of phosphorus (P) in agroecosystems like (i) catch cropping and mixed cropping, by (ii) application of beneficial microorganisms, and by (iii) P recycling with wastes and residues.