Influence of individual and co-application of organic and inorganic fertilizer on NH3 volatilization and soil quality

Abstract

The use of nitrogen fertilizers to enhance crop growth tends to increase every year. In addition, as eco-friendly agriculture is emphasized, organic fertilizers are preferred over inorganic fertilizers. However, since most of organic fertilizers in South Korea use imported ingredients, an alternative ingredients is needed. Biochar is an eco-friendly way to recycle various biomass and has a high pH and carbon contents. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of individual and co-application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on ammonia (NH3) volatilization and soil quality. Organic fertilizers used in this study were divided into conventional organic fertilizers (CF1 and CF2) and biochar-based organic fertilizers (BF). As a result of the experiment, NH3 volatilization and soil quality were significantly affected by the inorganic fertilizers. Also, NH3 volatilization effected by inorganic fertilizer was rapidly increased between 4 and 7 days. When different organic fertilizers were treated, NH3 emissions by BF was highest at 17.49 and 28.97 kg ha−1 compared to CF1 and CF2, but no statistically significant different was observed. A similar trend was appeared when organic and inorganic fertilizers was co-applied. Therefore, biochar-based organic fertilizers are similar to conventional organic fertilizers in terms of soil quality and NH3 volatilization, but it is expected to contribute to the formation of a stable fertilizer market by reducing the percentage of imported ingredients.

Keywords

• Ammonia (NH3)
• Biochar
• Inorganic fertilizers
• Organic fertilizers
• Soil quality