Dried pig manure from a cogeneration plant as a fertilizer for nitrate vulnerable zones

Abstract

Nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) are areas considered to be at high risk of water pollution due to an excess of nitrates and, according to European regulations, codes of good agricultural practice are to be implemented by farmers, such as reducing doses of the applied fertilizers, or the use of fertilizers that minimize nitrate leaching. In this work, the influence of organic fertilization with dried pig manure (DPM) as compared to mineral fertilization with ammonium sulfate nitrate with 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate nitrification inhibitor was studied in a barley crop planted in a NVZ in Fompedraza (Valladolid, Spain). Organic and mineral fertilizers were applied at different rates (85, 133 and 170 kg N·ha−1·year−1 vs. 90 and 108 kg N·ha−1·year−1, respectively) over a three-year period, in a randomized complete block design with six treatments and four blocks. DPM-based fertilization resulted in a 65% increase in crop yield as compared to the control soil, reaching 1800 kg·ha−1 for an application rate of 85 kg N·ha−1·year−1. Higher DPM rates were found to increase the electrical conductivity and assimilable phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and organic matter contents, but did not lead to yield enhancements. Final nitrate and ammonium concentrations were lower than 10 mg·kg−1 and 20 mg·kg−1, respectively, and no increase in soil salinity or heavy metal pollution was observed. DPM fertilization should be supplemented with small doses of inorganic fertilizers to obtain crop yields similar to those attained with mineral fertilization.